A team of Japanese researchers have reportedly developed a special plastic that melts in seawater within a matter of hours. The dissolved material also doesn’t leave behind any harmful residues, such as microplastic particles.
The group of Japanese researchers hail from the RIKEN Centre for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo. They say that, unlike other biodegradable plastics, theirs uses a new material and naturally occurring bacteria that breaks down to its original components when exposed to salt. In a lab near Tokyo, the team demonstrate how the plastic would vanish after being left in salt water for an hour.
Plastic pollution of our oceans have been a long-standing issue for several years. The UN Environment Programme predicts that the amount of plastic in our oceans is set to triple by 2040, which translates into anything between 23 and 37 million metric tons of waste. “Children cannot choose the planet they will live on. It is our duty as scientists to ensure that we leave them with best possible environment,” Takuzo Aida, one of the researchers said.
Aida also said that the new material is as strong as petroleum-based plastics but, as mentioned throughout the article, it breaks down a lot easier when coming into contact with saline or salt, in general. On that note, the researchers say that if you bury their material in the ground, it would also disintegrate after about 200 hours.
There is currently no plans to mass produce the material, nor are there any plans to commercialise it. However, the group did say its research has attracted significant interest from folks within the packaging sector.
