Tag Archives: plastic

The lifespan of plastic can be tailored to last days, months, or even years.

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Every year, we dispose of hundreds of millions of tons of plastic

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By incorporating chemicals that imitate natural polymers like DNA into plastics, we can develop materials that decompose in days, months, or years instead of persisting in landfills for centuries. Researchers are optimistic that this innovative approach will produce plastic items that fulfill their function and then safely disintegrate.

In 2022, over 2.5 billion tonnes of plastic are expected to be discarded globally, with merely 14 percent being recycled while the rest is either incinerated or buried. The quest for effective biodegradable plastics has spanned at least 35 years, utilizing various organic sources like bamboo and seaweed. However, in practice, many of these materials prove to be challenging to compost, and their manufacturers often make exaggerated claims.

Currently, Gu Yuwei, a professor at Rutgers University, is working on technology that creates plastics with precisely calibrated lifetimes, allowing them to break down swiftly in compost or natural environments.

Gu questioned why natural long-chain polymers such as DNA and RNA decompose relatively rapidly, while synthetic polymers like plastics do not, and whether it’s possible to replicate this process.

Natural polymers possess chemical structures known as adjacent groups, which facilitate their breakdown. These structures trigger an internal reaction called nucleophilic attack that disrupts the bonds in the polymer chains, which is energetically demanding for standard plastics.

Gu and his team synthesized artificial chemical structures that resemble these adjacent groups and incorporated them during the manufacturing of new plastics. They discovered that the resulting material could degrade easily, and by altering the structure of these additions, they could adjust how long the material remained intact before degradation.

As the plastic decomposes, Gu anticipates that the long polymer chains will fragment into smaller components that can either be repurposed to produce new plastics or dissolve safely in the environment.

“This method is optimized for plastics that require controlled degradation within days to months, so we believe it holds significant potential for uses like food packaging and other transient consumer products,” Gu explains. “It is not currently suitable for plastics that must remain intact for decades, such as construction materials and long-lasting structural components.”

Nonetheless, several challenges must be addressed before these plastics can be used in commercial applications. The liquid residue after the plastic’s decomposition consists of polymer chain fragments, necessitating further testing to ensure this mixture is non-toxic and can be safely released into the ecosystem.

Moreover, while UV light is presently required to initiate the degradation, natural sunlight is enough. Therefore, until the research team discovers a method to create materials that can decompose in darkness, buried or obscured plastics may persist in the environment indefinitely.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

20-Year-Old Guitar Hero: How a Plastic Axe Connected Generations Through Rock

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IIt’s been two decades since the launch of Guitar Hero in North America, empowering everyday gamers to step into the shoes of rock stars. Not in a literal sense, of course, but good luck convincing the individual who rocked out to Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living room crowd.

Created by Harmonix and published by RedOctane, Guitar Hero drew inspiration from Konami’s GuitarFreaks and introduced a guitar-shaped controller that allowed players to hit colored notes scrolling down the screen in sync with popular tracks. Each riff or sequence aligned with a specific note, delivering the sensation of an authentic live performance.

Before collaborating with RedOctane, Harmonix had already explored rhythm gaming with the PlayStation 2 titles Frequency and Amplitude. The partnership, which later saw RedOctane acquired by Activision in 2006, paved the way for an unexpected multibillion-dollar franchise that introduced classic bands like Cheap Trick, Kansas, and Lynyrd Skynyrd to millions of younger players and left a significant mark on many featured artists.

The new strumming… a line of players wielding plastic guitars. Photo: Johannes Eisel/AFP/Getty Images

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, reminisces about the early financial hurdles related to licensing the songs, even though the initial titles mainly featured cover versions. He shared how his negotiating strength evolved as the game skyrocketed in popularity.

“The revenue was so substantial that we eventually rerecorded all the music,” he notes. “Even securing just publishing rights proved nearly impossible. You couldn’t approach a band like The Who. RedOctane was practically broke and uncertain of success. However, once Guitar Hero exploded, causing record sales and radio play to soar, everyone wanted in.”

“What’s remarkable is the number of parents who’ve reached out to thank us for introducing their kids to the music they cherish. It has truly become generational.”

Northern Irish blues rock band Answer made their debut in the 2008 Game Guitar Hero World Tour with “Never Too Late.” Guitarist Paul Mahon observes how the series revived classic rock. “‘Guitar Hero’ drew a younger crowd. What was once dismissed as ‘old-fashioned music’ became cool again as teens discovered it through the game. It restored legitimacy to the genre, shedding the ‘dad rock’ label. It revived interest in our music.”

At the time of their North American tour supporting AC/DC in 2008, The Answer had yet to release their debut album in the U.S. Therefore, it served as a crucial platform for the band. “Their crew was playing ‘Never Too Late’ on the tour bus, and some recognized us from ‘Guitar Hero,'” shares Mahon.

Spin-off titles like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith highlighted individual bands. Photo: ArcadeImages/Alamy

Major rock legends quickly seized upon the series’ success, with Aerosmith, Metallica, and Van Halen featured in dedicated spin-offs that spotlighted their catalogs and rock ‘n’ roll legacies. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith reportedly earned the band more revenue than any of their traditional studio albums, with over 500,000 copies sold in its first week, leading to a 40% boost in sales of Aerosmith’s music during an already turbulent time in the music industry.

The series still generates enthusiasm among its fans. Earlier this year, the streamer CarnyJared achieved an impressive milestone by playing DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames (a notorious power metal track popularized by Guitar Hero) in Clone Hero, a free game mimicking its gameplay with extensive customization. This track poses significant challenges even at Expert mode, let alone playing at double speed without faltering on nearly 4,000 notes. Carney Jared claims it took him nine months of practice.

Infamously challenging…DragonForce guitarist Herman Lee. Photo: Gary Miller/Filmmagic

It’s no small task, but when do you transition to playing a real guitar? “It doesn’t really matter; you can’t play that song within nine months!” DragonForce guitarist Herman Lee contends that the gaming world and reality are entirely distinct. “There’s zero possibility. Guitar Hero is an entertaining fantasy.” Just because you play Call of Duty doesn’t mean you need to pick up a real firearm and join the military.”

DragonForce had already enjoyed a successful tour before “Through the Fire and Flames” featured in “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,” which Lee believes propelled the band into the limelight. “I recall getting a call from our record label saying the album was flying off the shelves,” he shares. “The next time we hit the road, it was a whole new level. We played the Mayhem Festival right before headliners Slipknot and Disturbed.”

In fact, the exposure from Guitar Hero was so significant that it nearly overshadowed the rest of the band’s work. Last year, the song appeared in the trailer for Despicable Me 4. “I used to think differently, but I’ve come to terms with it,” Lee reflects. “Even if just one person hears a DragonForce song, it’s fantastic. Everyone has their own musical journey, and we’re thrilled to be part of theirs.”

Whether relating to cars, fashion, or gaming, top-tier marketing goes beyond making a sale; it ignites desire. Did Guitar Hero successfully tap into that? “Precisely what we aimed for,” Dornbrook states. “The excitement of being a rock star performing on stage. From day one, Alex [Rigopulos] and Eran [Egozy], co-founders of Harmonix, believed in the intrinsic human longing to create music and sought to leverage technology to facilitate it.”

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Most Guitar Hero titles were launched in just five years, from 2005 to 2010. This brief period also saw the release of DJ Hero, a spin-off featuring a turntable controller, and Band Hero, which hit the market just one week apart in 2009. Dornbrook noted, “Activision is notorious for exhausting franchises and tends to oversaturate.” Since then, apart from a brief revival with Guitar Hero Live in 2015, interest from publishers in plastic instruments has diminished.

Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival keep the energy alive, with new developments from the original publisher on the horizon. A new studio named RedOctane Games has “entered production on its first rhythm-based title,” with original co-founders Kai and Charles Huang serving as special advisors. Is the world prepared for another title infused with the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We envisioned these games evolving like Madden, with annual updates,” Dornbrook continues. “I remain optimistic because there’s an incredible wealth of new music that could sustain it indefinitely. There’s no reason it couldn’t thrive for future generations.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Durable and Easily Recyclable: Biodegradable Plastic Crafted from Bamboo

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Bamboo is a quickly renewable resource

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Bamboo-derived hard plastics exhibit similar strength and durability to conventional plastics found in household appliances and car interiors, all while being recyclable and biodegradable in soil.

While bioplastics are gaining traction, they still represent only about 0.5% of the more than 400 million tonnes of plastic manufactured annually. This limitation is largely because bioplastics often lack the mechanical strength of many petroleum-based varieties and are not easily accommodated in standard production methods.

Recently, Dr. Dawei Zhao from Shenyang University of Chemical Technology in China has pioneered a technique for creating plastics from cellulose extracted from bamboo. This innovative approach can match or even exceed the properties of many commonly used plastics.

“Bamboo grows quickly, making it an exceptionally renewable resource and a viable substitute for traditional wood, yet its current applications are mostly confined to woven products,” Zhao noted.

Zhao’s team initially treated bamboo with zinc chloride and simple acid to dismantle strong chemical bonds, resulting in a mixture of smaller cellulose molecules. These molecules are then reorganized into a robust, hardened plastic.

The resulting material’s toughness is on par with standard engineering plastics (the strong varieties used in automotive, household, and construction applications). Dr. Andrew Dove from the University of Birmingham, UK, commented on the study.

Plastic sheet made from bamboo

Dawei Zhao

However, its strength means potential applications remain underutilized. “This doesn’t compete with primary plastics used in packaging like polyethylene or polypropylene,” Dove remarked. “Nevertheless, while it primarily targets smaller engineering plastics, it could ease some concerns regarding the sourcing of existing materials in that field.”

Although it is not as economical as the most common plastics, Zhao and his group found that the bamboo-based plastic can be fully recycled while retaining 90% of its original strength, offering a more appealing economic proposition. It’s also noteworthy that while it doesn’t quite match the scrutiny that other biodegradable plastics endure, it decomposes within 50 days.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Nanoparticles Could Be the Key to Creating the Perfect Plastic

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Enhancing PVC Pipes with Nanoparticles

Credits: Valentyn Semenov/Alamy

The addition of nanoparticles may provide a solution to a longstanding challenge in the plastic manufacturing industry. The question remains: how can we develop materials that are robust, durable, and easy to handle?

Hu-Jun Qian from Jilling University in China and his team refer to this dilemma as the plastic trilemma. Enhancing the polymer’s deformability often becomes challenging, leading to materials that are either overly viscous or difficult to manipulate.

To tackle this, the researchers incorporated polystyrene-based nanoparticles into several widely used plastics. For instance, they enhanced PEMA, a polymer commonly used in manufacturing hearing aids, artificial nails, acrylic glass for aquariums and glasses, as well as PVC used in construction and packaging.

The team subjected the modified material to various tests to determine its stretching capacity before failure. Overall, the newly developed materials exhibited improved performance across multiple assessments, sometimes showing remarkable differences. The findings indicated that PEMA became about 50% stronger with the inclusion of nanoparticles. “This lays down essential design principles for next-generation polymers featuring previously unattainable property combinations,” Qian explains.

To further investigate the advantages of incorporating nanoparticles, the researchers also performed computer simulations of the new materials. These simulations indicated that nanoparticles could shift and redistribute within the material under stress, enabling a slow and smooth deformation rather than catastrophic failure. This mobility was equally advantageous for plastics that become more fluid when molten, making them stronger, more durable, and viable.

Qian notes that this innovative approach aligns with existing industrial processes and can be scaled up effectively. “This method could transform applications needing lightweight, durable, and easily manufactured materials, including composites for automotive and aerospace, sustainable packaging, biomedical devices, and highly recyclable plastics,” he asserts.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Key Concepts for Improving Plastic Recycling

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“To enhance both plastic recycling and reuse, brands should utilize similar packaging for products within the same category.”

Elaine Knox

Since its inception in 1899, the US National Biscuit Company has utilized packaging as a marketing strategy by wrapping Uneda soda crackers in wax paper inside cardboard boxes. Over the decades, businesses have increasingly turned to plastics, making unique packaging a key component for establishing brand identity.

However, the fragile economics of plastic recycling are deteriorating, compounded by the complexity introduced by varying pigments, materials, and more. Currently, only 10% of plastic packaging is recycled globally. In contrast, reusable packaging remains in a niche market.

There are effective and straightforward methods to enhance both the recycling and reuse of plastics, such as having brands adopt similar packaging for products in the same category.

Initially, prioritize recycling. Despite decades of consumer awareness and infrastructure investments, managing various plastic types into specific subcategories remains prohibitively costly. Eliminating pigments and sorting by color is expensive, leading to many plastic varieties being downcycled into gray pipes and construction materials. The supply chain is inconsistent and fragmented, with virgin plastics remaining cheaper, resulting in a lack of reliable buyers for most recycled plastics.

Standardization could significantly improve this situation. If product categories adopt uniform guidelines for plastic types, colors, labels, and adhesives, recyclers could potentially recover much more material at a reduced cost. This would enhance economic viability for recycling and facilitate the vision of producing new bottles from old ones.

The case for standardized reuse systems is equally compelling. Presently, many brands experimenting with reuse employ different containers, necessitating individual return points coupled with specialized cleaning equipment and quality assurance checks, which adds costs and complexity while reducing convenience. Systems based on standardized packaging and shared infrastructure could capture 40% of the market through a more consolidated approach, as noted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

While standardized packaging might seem anti-capitalistic to some, many brands already produce similar packaging, such as milk jugs in the UK and toothpaste tubes in various countries. Standardization does not imply that all products must look identical. Brands can still employ unique labels, washable inks, embossing, and other distinguishing features. They can also maintain their own shapes and sizes.

It’s undoubtedly challenging to envision competitors like Procter & Gamble and Unilever willingly agreeing to package shampoo in identical bottles. However, with billions lost annually due to single-use plastics, where data ends up incinerated or in landfills, research increasingly highlights health risks associated with unstudied chemicals in plastics. Brands may find it challenging to safeguard their interests. Legally, it could be argued that the harm stemming from customized packaging outweighs the advantages of standardized containers.

More brands might soon have little choice. Regulatory frameworks are evolving in Europe and other regions, focusing on reuse targets and increased recycled content. Standardized packaging offers brands a pathway to meet these objectives while minimizing complexity and cost increases.

Undoubtedly, like-colored shampoo bottles won’t solve all issues, but such changes are becoming increasingly sound from a business perspective. Without them, achieving truly circular packaging remains a distant goal.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Lancet Highlights Plastic Crisis Ahead of Global Plastics Treaty

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A recent report from prominent medical journals highlights that the worldwide “plastic crisis” incurs a staggering cost of $1.5 trillion annually for governments and taxpayers.

By 2060, plastic production is projected to triple, with less than 10% being recycled. Currently, approximately 8,000 megatons of plastic are contaminating the planet. Recent research reviews published on Sunday by the Lancet.

This issue inflicts damage at every phase, from fossil fuel extraction and production to human consumption and eventual environmental disposal, according to the British publication.

“Plastics pose a significant, escalating, and often overlooked threat to both human and environmental health.” “They contribute to illness and mortality from infancy to old age, exacerbating climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.”

He also noted that these adverse effects “disproportionately impact low-income and vulnerable populations.”

In June, boaters collected recyclable plastic from the heavily polluted Sitaram River in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia.
Timur Matahari/AFP via Getty Images

This serves as the latest alarming message from experts regarding the widespread dangers posed by plastics, which the Journal deems “the material for our age.” After years of warnings about their presence in oceans and rivers, microplastics have now been discovered in humans, including in breast milk and brain tissue.

Sunday’s announcement initiated a new monitoring system called the “Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics.”

This was introduced alongside the concluding speeches in Geneva, Switzerland, where representatives from 175 countries are seeking to establish the first global treaty on plastics.

Activists are hopeful that the discussions taking place from Tuesday through August 14th will set key objectives for reducing plastic production. Some nations, including China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, have previously resisted these initiatives and advocated for increased plastic recycling.

According to the Lancet, major petrochemical companies are “key players” in the escalating production of plastics as they shift their focus towards plastics in light of dwindling fossil energy demand.

Various plastics, often derived from food and beverage containers and packaging, contain up to 16,000 different chemicals, which “enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal absorption,” the study states.

Pregnant women, infants, and young children are “especially vulnerable,” facing risks such as miscarriage, physical deformities, cognitive impairment, and diabetes. In adults, the risks include cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer.

“Given the substantial gaps in our understanding of plastic chemicals, it is likely that the health threats they pose are undervalued, and the disease burden resulting from them is currently underestimated,” he added.

The Lancet cited a study that estimated the global financial burden of these illnesses to be $1.5 trillion.

“It is now evident that the world cannot escape the plastic pollution crisis,” stated the Lancet. “Addressing this crisis requires continuous research, involving science-backed interventions: legislation, policy, monitoring, enforcement, incentives, and innovation.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Wax moth caterpillars can metabolically digest plastic and convert it into body fat.

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Plastic polymers are everywhere in our daily lives, and their durability makes them suitable for numerous uses, yet effective disposal remains a significant issue. Recent discoveries of various plastiboa insects reveal their extraordinary capability to consume and swiftly decompose petroplastics. Specifically focusing on caterpillars of the Great Wax Moth (Galleria Mellonella)—commonly known as wax worms—and low-density polyethylene, researchers have explored the extent of plastic consumption, the roles of insects and their microbiota in biodegradation, and the impact of plastic ingestion on larvae health.

Polyethylene decomposition using wax worms. Left: Plastic bag after 12 hours of exposure to approximately 100 wax worms. Right: Enlarge the area shown in the image on the left. Image credit: Bomb et al doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.02.060.

Plastic is essential in contemporary life, but its disposal is extremely challenging due to its resistance to biodegradation.

In 2017, researchers illustrated that larger wax moth caterpillars can effectively break down polyethylene plastics.

Polyethylene is the most widely produced plastic globally, with an annual production exceeding 100 million tons.

This plastic’s chemical properties make it resistant to decomposition, often taking decades or even centuries to fully break down.

“Around 2,000 wax worms can degrade an entire polyethylene bag within just 24 hours, and we believe that supplementing this process with nutrients like sugar could significantly decrease the required number of worms,” said Dr. Brian Catthorne, a biologist at Brandon University.

“However, understanding the biological mechanisms and fitness implications linked to plastic biodegradation is crucial for harnessing wax worms for large-scale plastic remediation.”

Utilizing diverse methods combining animal physiology, materials science, molecular biology, and genomics, Dr. Catthorne and colleagues examined wax worms, their bacterial microbiome, and the potential for extensive plastic biodegradation, including the effects of wax worms on their health and survival.

“This scenario is akin to consuming steaks. When over-saturated, excess fat is stored in adipose tissue as lipid reserves instead of being used as energy,” Dr. Catthorne explained.

“Waxworms have a proclivity for polyethylene, yet this study indicates that such a diet can lead to rapid mortality.”

“They cannot survive for more than a few days on plastic-exclusive diets and undergo substantial mass loss.”

“Nonetheless, we are optimistic about devising a co-supply strategy that not only restores fitness to a natural level.”

Researchers have pinpointed two ways in which wax worms could aid in tackling the ongoing plastic pollution dilemma.

“Firstly, as part of a circular economy, we can efficiently process large quantities of rear wax worms derived from the supplemented polyethylene diet,” Dr. Catthorne noted.

“Secondly, we could explore redesigning the plastic biodegradation pathways outside of these insects.”

“A further advantage is that mass-producing wax worms yields a significant surplus of insect biomass, offering additional economic prospects for aquaculture.”

“Our preliminary findings suggest they could be incorporated into a nutrient-rich diet for commercially available food fish.”

The author presented these survey results today at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium.

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Brian J. Catthorne et al. Plastic biodegradation by insects. SEB 2025 Summary #A17.4

Source: www.sci.news

Common Gut Bacteria Can Transform Everyday Plastic Waste into Paracetamol

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Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is a pain reliever traditionally produced from a diminished supply of fossil fuels, such as crude oil. Every year, thousands of tons of fossil fuels, alongside numerous drugs and chemicals, are utilized to transport painkillers to manufacturing facilities. Professor Stephen Wallace from the University of Edinburgh and his team discovered that E. coli bacteria can transform molecules derived from waste plastic bottles into paracetamol.

Johnson et al. Reporting the reorganization of phosphate-catalyzed loss of biocompatibility in bacteria E. coli Activated acylhydroxamate is transformed into primary amine-containing metabolites in living cells. Image credit: Johnson et al. , doi: 10.1038/s41557-025-01845-5.

The issue of plastic waste is increasingly pressing, making the quest for sustainable plastic upcycling solutions a priority.

Metabolic engineering combines organic chemistry with the exploitation of biological cell chemical reaction networks to create new small molecules.

However, it remains uncertain whether these reactions can be effectively combined to convert plastics into useful products.

“Our research indicates that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic is not merely waste, but can be converted by microorganisms into valuable new products with potential applications in disease treatment,” stated Professor Wallace.

In their study, Professor Wallace and co-authors found that a specific type of chemical reaction, known as loss rearrangement, occurs within living cells and is catalyzed by internal phosphates in E. coli.

This reaction produces nitrogen-containing organic compounds that are vital for cellular metabolism.

The researchers demonstrated that chemical processes can decompose PET plastic to yield starting molecules for further reactions, allowing cellular metabolism to regenerate these plastic-derived molecules.

Additionally, they discovered that this plastic-derived compound can serve as a precursor for paracetamol production in E. coli, achieving a yield of 92%.

This finding may mark the first instance of paracetamol synthesized from E. coli waste materials.

Future research will focus on exploring how other bacteria and types of plastics can yield beneficial products.

“Thus, biocompatible chemistry should be viewed as a complement to early enzyme design research and non-biological chemistry engineering, integrating collaboratively as a tool for biological cells to enhance potential synthetic chemistry within biological systems,” the scientists noted.

The team’s study was published in the journal Nature Chemistry on June 23, 2025.

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NW Johnson et al. Relocation of loss of biocompatibility in E. coli. Nat. Chem. Published online on June 23, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41557-025-01845-5

Source: www.sci.news

The Failure of a Global Treaty to Reduce Plastic Pollution: Expert Marce Gutiérrez-Glaudis Discusses Next Steps.

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Marce Gutierrez-Glaudis was thrilled to participate in a historic event last month when over 170 countries gathered in Busan, South Korea, to negotiate a binding global agreement to reduce plastic pollution.

“We were hopeful that this would mark the end of our meetings,” shared a marine conservation expert from California who was part of the U.S. delegation, speaking to NBC News.

However, a global agreement did not materialize as countries failed to reach a consensus during the fifth and final round of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Commission.

“I am planning to engage in at least one more round in late spring or summer,” Gutierrez-Growdish mentioned. Instead of delaying potentially problematic treaties for years, he emphasized the importance of investing more time in exploring methods to oversee funding, transparency, and national accountability.

Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiche founded Azul, a nonprofit organization that protects marine resources, after witnessing the decline of fish in her work in commercial fishing and aquaculture.Provided by: Azure

Wrapping up the year, a Mexican-American environmental leader shared insights. As the Founder of Azure, they are committed to safeguarding marine resources through positive and forward-thinking actions.

Researchers project that without effective measures, plastic pollution could double by 2050, while a global treaty could potentially reduce it by 91%.

Despite challenges like the recent deadlock and the uncertain future in South Korea, concerns linger about the next Trump administration potentially causing a breakdown. Gutierrez-Groudish emphasized the need to focus on collaboration rather than political affiliations when it comes to international agreements and environmental protection, stating, “We must set aside our political or federal preferences.”

Experts in marine conservation stressed the bipartisan nature of environmental issues, finding resonance among the Latin American community. “People are becoming more aware that things are changing and crises are on the rise.”

For instance, in California, residents are witnessing escalating temperatures, water scarcities, and increased wildfires, while across the nation, devastating impacts from recent severe hurricanes are evident.

Mr. Gutierrez-Groudis mentioned: Her organization conducted a poll among 2,500 Latino registered voters earlier this year, revealing widespread support for increased government investment in ocean protection, even if it entails higher costs for individuals.

Regarding plastic use, Over 70% of Latino voters backed bans on single-use plastics, while 75% supported regulations on plastic manufacturing chemicals. The majority favored an international treaty to eliminate plastic pollution, even if it meant adhering to challenging and costly regulations in the U.S.

While recent headlines have focused on microplastics’ presence in humans, Gutierrez-Groudish advocates for a comprehensive approach targeting plastic production’s root causes and impacts.

Highlighting the need to address the entire plastic production lifecycle and its repercussions, she and her team are formulating a comprehensive plan for forthcoming international conferences.

Witnessing the Impact Directly

Before establishing Azul in 2011, Gutierrez-Graudish began her career in commercial fishing and aquaculture, overseeing logistics and operations—experience that sensitized her to environmental degradation due to dwindling fish supplies and rising fuel costs. “I observed it firsthand,” she shared. “It was a profound moment that steered me towards conservation.”

As she gears up for global negotiations, her nonprofit Azul is actively spearheading three campaigns in her state. The Deja el Plastico (No Plastic) initiative endeavors to mitigate plastic pollution in California, leading to a state-wide ban on single-use plastic bags in 2016.

Gutierrez-Glaudis noted that Latina grandmothers can offer practical examples of reducing plastic consumption, alluding to the “Abuela Bag.” “My grandma had reusable bags, not the trendy eco-friendly ones you find at stores, but the concept remained the same,” she reminisced.

Azul’s Vamos a La Playa (Let’s Go to the Beach) campaign centers on coastal accessibility, seeking to ensure Californians can enjoy shoreline access granted under the more than 40-year-old California Coastal Act. She accentuated the importance of clear communication at local levels to inform communities of their rights.

“Many people don’t realize that the coast is for everyone, and we need to rectify any sense of exclusion,” Gutierrez-Groudish emphasized. “I’ve witnessed this firsthand.”

Having also launched the Latino Marinos (Latino Mariners) Campaign, an advocacy branch inspired by her experiences, Gutierrez-Graudis aims to foster inclusivity and provide resources for underrepresented groups in maritime conservation.

Marce Gutierrez-Glaudis will speak to students at the GenSea Binational Academy in November.Provided by: Azure

“We are creating an inclusive environment and providing opportunities and tools,” Gutierrez-Groudish shared. “Our mission is to translate potential, not just language but transformative opportunities.”

A couple of years ago, Azul unveiled the Rising Leaders Initiative, offering a chance to visit Washington, D.C. for Ocean Week and interact with elected officials.

Excited about the increasing diversity within conservation fields, Gutierrez-Groudish praised social media for making conservation more accessible. She encouraged enthusiasts to connect virtually and engage with organizations like hers to enter the conservation arena.

For individuals wondering about their environmental impact, Gutierrez-Groudish reassured them by stating that every effort counts, even simple actions like using reusable items and reaching out to elected representatives can make a significant difference.

She advocated that caring for the environment is not limited to specific actions, but rather stems from mindful decisions and actions.“People used to say to me, ‘I don’t drive a Prius.’ If they’re making mindful choices and valuing environmental issues, they too are environmentalists,” she concluded.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Plastic chemicals have been connected to numerous deaths globally

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New scientist. Our website and magazine feature science news and long reads by expert journalists covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment.

Plastic food packaging can expose people to chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA)

Shutterstock/Trong Nguyen

Hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of heart disease cases worldwide may be linked to chemicals found in common plastic products, and stricter regulations on such toxins are needed. This suggests that there may be potential benefits to public health.

Maureen Cropper researchers from the University of Maryland investigated the effects of oxidation on three chemicals primarily used in plastics: bisphenol A (BPA), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The public health impact of exposure was assessed. BPA and DEHP are used in plastic food packaging, and PBDE is a flame retardant used in some household products such as furniture and electronics.

Based on more than 1,700 studies published to date, the researchers estimated how much people in 38 countries, representing about a third of the world’s population, are exposed to these three chemicals. Three of these countries, the United States, Canada, and South Korea, also have public databases that monitor levels of these chemicals in urine and blood samples, providing more accurate data.

Researchers calculated the health effects caused by these chemicals by combining them with medical records and toxicology reports. Researchers found that in 2015, approximately 5.4 million coronary artery diseases and 346,000 strokes were linked to BPA exposure, and approximately 164,000 deaths among people aged 55 to 64 were caused by DEHP. I discovered that it could be.

Thanks to you rules Since their enactment in the 2000s, the prevalence of these chemicals has decreased in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and Europe. Researchers estimate that approximately 515,000 deaths could have been avoided if exposure to BPA and DEHP in the United States had remained at post-regulation levels since 2003. This highlights the importance for governments and manufacturers to limit the use of hazardous chemicals in plastic products before they reach consumers. says Cropper.

However, it is important to remember that these results are only approximations. “Frankly, I think one of the real limitations is the lack of exposure data on these substances,” Cropper said. This means that estimates may be less accurate for some countries than for others. “It would be a good idea for more countries to actually monitor it.” [exposures to] Examining these and other substances will improve our understanding of their public health burden, she says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

How can we solve the planet’s plastic pollution crisis?

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plastic waste in indonesia

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The world currently generates more than 50 million tonnes of “mismanaged” plastic waste each year, and some researchers predict that this flood of plastic pollution will double by mid-century. But he also said that if countries could agree to adopt four key policies during this period. This number could be reduced by 90 per cent if this week's global plastics deal is negotiated.

Plastic pollution ultimately chokes land and sea ecosystems. “This affects every level of the food chain, from phytoplankton cells to humans,” he says. Sarah-Jeanne Royer at the University of California, San Diego. Plastics also account for about 5% of greenhouse gas emissions.

That's why most of the world's countries are meeting this week in Busan, South Korea, to hammer out the final details of a global treaty to end plastic pollution. By 2022, 175 countries have already agreed to adopt a legally binding treaty For the past two years, we have been debating what exactly we should require, with particular disagreements over setting limits on production of new plastics.

To make the discussion more clear, douglas mcquarley The researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, used an artificial intelligence model trained on economic data to test how the policies they were considering would affect global plastic pollution. “I wasn't sure that [eliminating plastic pollution] It was actually possible,” McCauley said. “But it turns out we can get pretty close.”

They predict that under current conditions, plastic pollution is expected to almost double by 2050, reaching between 100 million and 139 million tonnes. However, all four policy combinations are still on the bill. Current draft treatywas sufficient to reduce this by over 90%.

The most influential of these was the mandate that plastic products contain at least 40% recycled material. This rule alone will cut plastic pollution in half by mid-century. Mr McCauley said this effect was significant because it would reduce demand for newly made or “virgin” plastics, while also stimulating demand for recycled materials. “Suddenly, there was a huge global recycling market.”

But recycling alone wasn't enough. “If our goal is to eliminate plastic pollution, we need to address it throughout its lifecycle,” he says. Further reductions would have required limiting virgin plastic production to 2020 levels. According to the model, this production cap would have reduced plastic pollution by about 60 million tons per year by mid-century. This change also had the biggest impact on greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production, as the extraction of fossil fuels and conversion into virgin plastics involves processes with large emissions.

A third policy would spend $50 billion on waste management, roughly equal to the production cap, especially if these funds go to low-income countries with poor infrastructure and where plastic pollution is most severe. reduced pollution. “When we start talking about global finance, [the amount of money needed] It’s not that big,” McCauley said. “Building a sanitary landfill is different from building a port.”

Plastic waste is increasing, and while some is recycled or destroyed, the majority is “mismanaged” and piles up as plastic pollution.

A. Samuel Pottinger et al.

Finally, a small tax on plastic packaging has reduced pollution by tens of millions of tons. The researchers based this estimate on case studies of how people reduced their plastic use in response to similar taxes. 5 cents fee Regarding disposable plastic bags in Washington DC. Funds raised through such taxes could also be used to pay for other changes, such as building waste management infrastructure or improving recycling systems.

Royer, who was not involved in the study, said he thinks all of these policies will help. Reducing the use of single-use plastics, such as shopping bags and plastic forks, through taxes or bans could also make a difference, she says. “If you look at plastic pollution in general, 40% of the plastic produced is single-use.”

However, she points out that local rules alone will never solve the problem. California, for example, banned some single-use plastic bags a decade ago and this year banned all such bags. But most of the plastic pollution that washes up on our shores comes from outside the state, with California's plastic waste typically washing ashore from Asia across the Pacific or being left behind by fishing. “There are no borders,” Royer says.

This is where the World Treaty comes into play. Researchers explore how different policies around the world can reduce three things: the amount of poorly managed plastic waste, the production of new plastics, and plastic-related greenhouse gas emissions. I showed you. By combining the four key policies seen in the graph below, all three measures reduced, specifically mismanaged waste, by 91%.

Researchers estimated the impact of different policies to reduce plastic

Source: www.newscientist.com

20% of Global Plastic Waste ends up Incinerated or Dumped

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More than half of uncollected plastic waste is incinerated

Tim Gainey/Alamy

Approximately 1.5 billion people around the world have no access to waste collection services, making how to dispose of plastic waste a serious environmental issue.

Most of these households resort to incinerating their plastic waste or dumping it in the environment, new analysis argues, arguing that comprehensive collection services are the only way to curb global plastic pollution.

Costas Bellis Researchers from the University of Leeds in the UK used municipal waste data and census data to model plastic waste flows in cities around the world, then used this data to train an AI algorithm to predict how waste is generated and disposed of in more than 50,000 urban areas around the world.

Bellis says this bottom-up approach offers an “unprecedented” look at how plastic waste is processed and why it becomes a pollutant in different countries. “It's never been done before,” he says.

Velis' team estimates that 52.1 million tonnes of plastic waste (one-fifth of the global total) becomes polluting each year. Most of it occurs in poor countries where waste collection is unreliable or not available at all. Rather than being properly treated, most of this plastic waste is burned in homes, on the streets or in small dumps, without any environmental controls.

Researchers estimate that about 57% of uncollected plastic waste is disposed of in this way, while the remaining 43% is dumped into the environment. Burning plastic not only releases greenhouse gases, but also carcinogenic dioxins, particulate pollution, and heavy metals. All of these are harmful to human health..

Low-income countries generally produce much less plastic waste per capita, but much of that waste ends up polluting the environment, whereas in high-income countries, where the majority of waste is collected and treated, littering is the biggest source of plastic pollution.

The findings highlight the need for low-income countries to receive support to establish comprehensive waste collection systems for all their citizens, Velis said. India, Nigeria and Indonesia were named as countries with the highest rates of plastic pollution.

The study comes ahead of a conference in Busan, South Korea, in November to consider adopting the world's first plastic waste treaty. Velis calls for the treaty to include measures requiring countries to steadily increase the proportion of waste treated in appropriate facilities and for high-income countries to increase financial support. “Lack of waste collection is the biggest cause of the decline in plastic waste,” he says. [plastic pollution] “That's where the problem lies,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Plastic evaporation method could enable infinite recycling of bags and bottles

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Polyethylene plastic bags are difficult to recycle

Robert Sanders/University of California, Berkeley

Plastic bottles and bags can be evaporated into their chemical components and turned into new plastic that has all the properties of virgin material. Though there are still hurdles to overcome, this new process is a big step towards a truly circular economy for plastics.

About 5 billion tons of plastic Plastics have been heading to landfills since the 1950s, but recycling efforts only address 9% of what we produce. With current technology, plastics degrade every time they are recycled, and after just a few rounds of this process they end up in landfills.

John Hartwig Dr. Hartz and his colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, had previously developed a process to break down waste plastic into its component parts, but it relied on expensive metal catalysts — iridium, ruthenium and palladium — that were lost in the process and couldn't be recovered. Hartwig says the technology is “good for academic papers and demonstrations, but it's not anywhere near what could be considered industrialized.”

Now his team has found an improved process that works for both polyethylene, the raw material in most plastic bags, and polypropylene, used to make stiffer objects. The process uses only a catalyst that's so common it's considered “earthy” in nature, Hartwig says.

Plastics are made up of large molecules called polymers, which are in turn made up of smaller units called monomers. The catalyst breaks the chemical bonds in the polymers, turning them into gaseous monomers from which new plastic can be made with all the properties of virgin, non-recycled material.

In their experiments, the team used two catalysts — sodium on aluminum oxide and tungsten oxide on silica — to convert a mixture of polyethylene and polypropylene into the monomers propylene and isobutylene with nearly 90 percent efficiency.

Benjamin Ward A researcher from Cardiff University in the UK, who was not involved in the study, says thousands of additives, including dyes, flame retardants and plasticizers, make plastics difficult to recycle. These additives can make up a third of the finished product and can contaminate the end product after it's recycled. “Additives delay landfilling. They delay the environmental problem. But they don't prevent it entirely,” he says.

Ward believes the new process solves the additive problem by stripping the material down to its constituent gaseous monomers, which also removes the additives.

Hartwig cautions that there are still many hurdles to overcome, and that the process has only been tested in the presence of a small number of common additives. “There will be additives that poison the catalyst or inhibit it,” he says. “We need to find a way to isolate them, which may not be optimal, or we need to find a different catalyst structure or composition that is more resistant to those additives. It's definitely a challenge.”

Cressida Bowyer Researchers from the University of Portsmouth in the UK say that even if there are processes in place that can break down waste plastic into its component parts and tolerate additives, further concerns remain: “The toxicity and disposal of the recycled end product.” [such as catalysts and additives] “These must be taken into account, and may outweigh the benefits of recycling technologies,” she says. “Recycling should not be seen as a solution or justification for maintaining or increasing the production of single-use or unnecessary plastics and continuing the current prevalent 'take, make and throw away' culture.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Photos Show Plastic Threatening Bird Populations on Paradise Island

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Lord Howe Island

Neil Hadaway

Jutting out into the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand is the curved, crescent-shaped volcanic remnant of Lord Howe Island. Measuring 10 kilometres in length and 2 kilometres at its widest point, the rocky island is covered in lush, unspoiled forest and boasts a sandy, coral-rich lagoon.

“This is paradise.” Neil HadawayA photographer who went there to document the activities of the marine research group. drifting“There are birdsongs all around, beautiful coral reefs and golden sand beaches.” Among the bird calls is the shearwater (Aldena CarneipesOf the total, approximately 22,000 breed on the island.

Petrel chick (Ardenna carneipes)

Neil Hadaway

But life there is not ideal, and newly hatched petrel chicks, like the one pictured above, are under threat from increasing marine plastic pollution. Adult petrels mistake plastic debris in the sea for food and end up feeding it to their young. In fact, Adrift researchers have found that the amount of plastic ingested by chicks is increasing every year. One of the team, pictured below, sifts through chunks of plastic in the stomach of just one bird.

As a result, these chicks become increasingly underdeveloped, with dozens dying each year from starvation and plastic-related diseases.

“This island may be magical,” Hadaway said, “but it's also full of frustration and sadness.”

He says stricter laws against plastic pollution are needed to protect populations of petrels, which locals affectionately call “muttonbirds” (see above) after their taste.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The glassy gel is as rigid as plastic and can extend up to seven times its original length.

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Glassy gels are a new class of materials that are as stiff as plastic but extremely stretchy.

Meishan Wang, North Carolina State University

When you think of gel, you might imagine something sludgy, but the new gel-like material has been engineered to be strong and transparent like glass, yet flexible enough to stretch to almost seven times its original length.

Michael Dickey The North Carolina State University researchers say they discovered the “glassy gel” when student Meishan Wang was experimenting with ionic liquids and kept finding unexpected mechanical properties. The material they came up with is more than 50 percent liquid, yet it's as strong as the plastic in water bottles, and it's also highly stretchable and sticky. “It has a lot of great properties,” Wang says.

Each glassy gel is made up of long molecules called polymers mixed with ionic liquid (essentially liquid salt). The gels are transparent solids that can withstand up to 400 times atmospheric pressure, yet easily stretch up to 670 percent. Dickey says this could make them suitable for building soft robotic grippers or for 3D printing deformable materials.

He and his colleagues created glassy gels from mixtures of several polymers and liquid salts, and found that their strength and stretchability depended on the exact ratios used.

“By simply changing the ratio of the two materials, we can make something as stretchy as a rubber band or as hard as glass,” Dickey says.

This is because the material's stretchability comes from the ionic liquid depositing in the spaces between the stiff polymer molecules, pushing them apart, while its strength comes from electrostatic attraction between the charged particles in the liquid and the polymer, which prevents the particles from moving apart completely.

The glassy gel is also capable of self-repair; cuts or breaks can be repaired by applying heat, causing the molecules at the broken edges to rejoin. Richard Hoogenboom Researchers at Ghent University in Belgium say the technique could be useful in some cases where traditional plastics are used, but that the formulations may need to be tweaked to only soften at high enough temperatures to avoid accidental softening.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Efforts to Reduce Emissions are Crucial for Success of Plastic Pollution Treaty

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People rally in Ottawa to support ending plastic pollution

The Canadian Press/Shutterstock

Representatives from nearly every country will gather in Canada to hammer out the details of a global treaty to tackle rising plastic pollution. One source of disagreement at the summit, which concluded on April 29, was how to address greenhouse gas emissions produced by the production and use of plastics, which are increasingly not recognized as a cause of climate change. was.

“When people think of plastic, they think of something visually visible,” he says. Vermilion Alice At the University of Toronto, Canada. However, the extraction and processing of fossil fuels and other chemicals used to make plastics produces large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, as does the generation of the energy needed to make plastic products. Plastics currently account for about 10% of total oil and natural gas demand. Coal is also increasing Used to power plastic production.

Incineration of plastic waste is also a source of greenhouse gas emissions. As plastics in the environment degrade, they can emit carbon dioxide and methane. Plastics may even reduce the amount of carbon that ecosystems can store, although the effects have not been well quantified, Zhu said.

The emissions numbers associated with plastic production are more clear-cut.in study Published this month, Nihang Kalari Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California estimated that plastic production produced 2.24 billion tons of CO2 in 2019, accounting for about 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is roughly four times the emissions produced by aviation that year.

They found that as plastic production increases, these emissions could triple by 2050, assuming no changes in the way plastics are made. Most of the emissions are related to the extraction and processing of fossil fuels and other chemicals used to make plastics, so decarbonizing the electricity grid will have a small impact on projected emissions. It also became clear that

The global plastics deal currently under discussion could offer a “historic” chance to limit these emissions, the researchers write. In 2022, more than 175 countries have agreed to join a legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution throughout the lifecycle of materials, with final details expected to be agreed by the end of this year.

But a group of oil-producing countries, including China and Russia, said during negotiations that the treaty should only address plastic waste through cleaning and recycling, and that production, which is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions from oil, would They argued that it should not be restricted or changed. plastic.country group Including UK and EU argued that the treaty should include provisions to reduce production to keep emissions in line with global climate goals.

“There's a lot on the agenda, but climate certainly isn't talked about much,” he says. neil nathan Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, attended the conference to advocate for an ambitious treaty.

according to modeling We've heard from Nathan and others that a strong treaty that takes measures such as limiting production and requiring plastic products to contain a high proportion of recycled content could keep emissions at current levels. Probably. He said the Plastics Treaty would be a “failure” if it did not address production.

Sarah-Jeanne Royer Researchers at the University of California, San Diego suggest that even if the treaty did not reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there would be more sustainable options for making plastics, such as recycled or captured CO2, such as bioplastics or captured CO2. It said the switch would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the use of new plastics. Expressly.

but, paul stegman Dutch research institute TNO has warned that plastic alternatives such as steel can generate more emissions, depending on how they are reused and recycled. “Ultimately, we need policies that reduce the impact on society as a whole, not just move the problem elsewhere,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Effective Recycling Techniques to Reduce Plastic Waste from Ending up in Landfills

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Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images

In 1980, Disney World in Orlando, Florida, began developing a new method of generating electricity for its theme parks that would reduce the use of increasingly expensive oil. The solid waste-to-energy conversion plant took garbage, including plastics, and converted it into flammable gas using a method called pyrolysis. It opened in 1982 but closed a year later due to high operating costs.

Today, environmentalists cite the Disney story that shatters the reputation of a series of new technologies collectively known as advanced recycling, which takes plastic waste and turns it back into brand new plastic.

Their argument is dishonest. The failure of the Disney plant had more to do with the subsequent drop in oil prices than with any technical or environmental issues. Pyrolysis has improved significantly since the 1980s. In any case, Disney’s factory is designed to produce fuel, not classified as advanced recycling.

Advanced recycling is rapidly innovating with the potential to help solve the global plastics crisis, as reported in our feature “A surprising new technology that could recycle all plastics forever.” It has the potential to capture millions of tonnes of waste plastic and turn it back into a clean, fresh state by breaking it down into its molecular components. The goal is a circular economy that eliminates the need to make “virgin” plastic from oil.

It’s not a panacea. These factories produce toxic waste, have problems with their energy use, and perpetuate traditional plastics ahead of newer, greener alternatives. Campaigners are right to argue that it would be better to do away with plastic altogether. However, given practical considerations, they are not going away anytime soon, and most advanced recycling technologies are better for the environment than their alternatives.

There should be serious discussion about advanced recycling, especially whether it should be incorporated into future global treaties on plastic pollution. Make sure it’s based on fact and not a Disney story.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Overcoming Plastic Pollution: Recycling Alone Is Not Enough

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I recently came across a photo that I can only describe as “post-apocalyptic cute.” It depicted a small, beady-eyed, purple hermit crab with its fragile abdomen neatly tucked within a bright red object.

This “shell” provided the small crustacean with armor that kept it perfectly balanced and easily manipulated. However, it was not a traditional seashell, but rather a discarded plastic bottle cap. This image is a moving depiction of the serious global problem of plastic pollution we currently face.

Hermit crabs scavenge for things from the ocean floor and use them for protection. This habit of finding their home and carrying it on their backs earned them their delightful name.

However, instead of finding beautiful coiled snail shells to nestle in, many hermit crabs today pick up pieces of trash that we throw away and hide inside them.

A group of Polish researchers based at Warsaw University and Poznań University conducted an “Internet Ecology Study,” during which they scoured social media for photos of hermit crabs decorated with human trash. They found 386 photos in total from every tropical coast in the world.

According to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) 2021 report, plastic production has increased by an almost unimaginable 18,300% in 65 years, leading to a current oversupply of plastic waste that we are struggling to dispose of responsibly.

Recycling may seem like an obvious solution, but as of 2015, only 9% of generated plastic waste was being recycled, according to a major study on the fate of plastic.

Examples of plastic reuse

Mark Miodnik, Professor of Materials and Society at University College London, has stated that reusing is the best solution to the plastic waste problem. One major effort in bringing reuse into the mainstream is Loop, which operates a “global reverse supply chain” in partnership with major brands, collecting used packaging from consumers and retailers through a deposit return scheme.

Despite the devastating increase in plastic production, there is hope for significant change in the near future. A commitment to a binding treaty to end plastic pollution has already been signed by 175 countries, setting the stage for a pivotal year in rewriting the plastic waste rulebook.

In the meantime, reusing as much of the materials we already have in abundance can help alleviate the plastic waste problem. As a lead researcher on hermit crab research in Poland, Zusanna Jagiello notes that the animals are simply taking advantage of what’s available to them.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Should the Great Pacific Garbage Patch be a priority for plastic cleanup efforts?

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Fish caught in discarded nets in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Ocean Voyages Institute/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock

It was a bright sunny day in September 2023. Excitement filled the air and a rainbow appeared on the horizon as the team slowly pulled a giant net out of the glistening sea. ocean cleanup This project was trialling System 03 in the North Pacific. Basically she had two ships dragging a 2.2 kilometer long net designed to remove as much trash as possible. This time it was filmed for a promotional video, with one scoop weighing a record-breaking 18 tons.

Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2012 on the simple premise of trawling ocean plastic hotspots and mopping up floating debris. After years of testing and refining the technology, the organization says it is now ready to begin the planned cleanup of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast collection of plastic waste located between Hawaii and California. There is.

That sounds like a laudable goal. But in recent years, marine scientists have warned that efforts to mechanically remove plastic from the ocean are not only futile, but potentially harmful. It’s a waste, as we know that much of the ocean’s plastic waste is too small or out of reach to capture. And it’s probably harmful for two reasons. Firstly, new research shows that marine debris patches are home to all kinds of marine life, and secondly, cleanup efforts have removed such waste from its source. This is because efforts to stem the flow of the virus may be hindered.

So, given what we know…

Source: www.newscientist.com

1 Liter Water Bottle Can Hold 240,000 Plastic Particles

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Scientists used lasers to identify plastic particles in water bottles

Naixin Qian, Columbia University

One liter water bottle can contain 240,000 microscopic plastic particles. The health effects of ingesting plastic are not clear, but early research suggests that such particles can travel to various organs in the body.

Millions of tonnes of plastic are produced every year as a result of human activities such as fishing and household waste. Most of this is made up of microplastics with diameters between 1 micrometer and 5 millimeters.

Previous studies have suggested that microplastics may act as carriers. Transport of pollutants and Pathogensay Yan Beizan At Columbia University in New York.

Plastic fragments less than 1 micrometer in diameter are known as nanoplastics and can pose an even bigger concern than microplastics. Their smaller size means they may have a better chance of penetrating the body's intestinal lining. placenta And even the blood-brain barrier, Yang says.

Nanoplastics are difficult to detect due to their large size, but Yang and his colleagues have developed an innovative technique to detect them.

The researchers took six 1-liter bottles of private-label water from three unnamed U.S. supermarkets and shot them with a laser that vibrated when they encountered plastic debris. On average, each bottle contained approximately 240,000 plastic particles. Up to 100x more than previous studies.

The type of plastic in the water was determined from the intensity of the laser's vibrations, and approximately 90% of it was nanoplastic. He was only able to identify 10% of this, but it contained polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the raw material for bottles.

There's no reason why other U.S. water bottles or water bottles from other countries wouldn't have similar amounts of nanoplastics, but this needs to be verified in independent research, Yang said.

In the future, researchers hope to improve the technique to identify more nanoplastics in water, he said.

shelley mason Researchers at Penn State University called the study “a very impressive and groundbreaking study.”

“We know that plastics emit particles, just as human skin cells continually shed particles, but being able to quantify and identify these plastic particles to the nanoplastic range is important for human health. “This is important for advancing our understanding of the impact on the human body,” she says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com