A team of Japanese scientists has created what until recently seemed impossible: 100% biodegradable plastic. It is a material that completely decomposes in the sea within a few hours.
Moreover, it is as resistant as conventional plastics. The still experimental results are published in the Science journal. It is expected to help reduce harmful contamination by microplastics on the planet.
100% Biodegradable Plastic in a Few Hours
Behind this development are researchers from the Riken Center and the University of Tokyo (Japan).
“With this new material, we have created a new family of plastics that are strong, stable, recyclable, can serve multiple functions, and, most importantly, do not generate microplastics,” summarizes Takuzo Aida, project leader.
Although there are recyclable and biodegradable plastics, the problem largely persists, and over the years, they break down into harmful microplastics (pieces less than 5 millimeters).
As a result, these “damage aquatic life and enter the food chain, reaching the human body,” as stated in a press release from Riken.
Current biodegradable plastics (such as PLA) often end up in the ocean, where they cannot degrade because they are insoluble in water.
In the new study, Aida and his team focused on addressing these difficulties with supramolecular plastics: polymers whose structures are held together by reversible interactions.
How the New Plastics Were Manufactured
The new plastics were manufactured by combining two monomers -ionic molecules- that form cross-linked ionic bridges, providing strength and flexibility.
The new plastics are not toxic or flammable. In other words, they do not emit CO2 and can be reshaped at temperatures above 120 degrees like other thermoplastics.
The most commonly used conventional plastics today are composed of large molecules where atoms and molecules are bonded together by strong links. They are resistant to microorganisms and environmental agents such as water, light, oxygen, or heat.
This makes them durable and allows abandoned and poorly managed waste to decompose slowly and pollute the environment.
However, the newly created plastics are formed by moderate-sized molecules and, crucially, bonded by links that are strong. But they can be easily broken under appropriate conditions.
The links are formed by extracting salts from the reaction medium and can be broken simply by replenishing the salts. This can be done in a plastic recycling process to recover the starting components, and can also occur naturally in the sea.
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