Biodegradable

To wood or not to wood, that’s been the question! Ever since oil-based plastics entered the scene, cost, sustainability, and performance have defined the wood vs. plastics debate. In a clear win, researchers may have just invented wooden plastic.

Researchers in China have devised a new method for producing bamboo-based plastic which results in a strong material that can compete with traditional plastics, be flexibly shaped as needed, and can also degrade in soil in less than two months.

Scientists at RIKEN in Japan have developed a new type of plastic that’s just as stable in everyday use as regular plastic, but dissolves quickly in saltwater, leaving behind only safe compounds.

Scientists believe lightweight, ultra-strong and flexible spider silk is now one step closer to commercial use thanks to a deceptively complex 'box' that can spin nature's wonder fiber in a "spontaneous, extremely rapid, and highly reproducible" way.

Japanese scientists have developed a new type of plastic that can easily break down on demand into its base components. In seawater it starts to break down into food for marine life, and just to top it off, it can self-heal and remember past shapes.

Focused on creating a greener future, the UK’s PLP Architects have collaborated with nature to create a renewable, biodegradable fungus-based modular block with the potential to become a new building material with minimal environmental impact.

Wood isn’t usually very good at conducting electricity, but now scientists have created the first functional wooden transistor. It’s not the best, and it requires some processing, but it does work and could help make for biodegradable electronics.

Even though glass is praised for being fully recyclable, the EPA states that only about a third of discarded glass items actually get recycled. With that problem in mind, scientists have developed a new type of glass which is biodegradable.

Whether their stripes are to deter predators, cool down their bodies on hot days or make it hard for horseflies to land and bite, the zebra's appearance is an ongoing fascination for scientists. Now, their style has been adapted in a novel way.

Plastics are made to last, which is great while they’re being used but not so great after they’re discarded. Chemists have now developed a new kind of plastic that has all the durability of regular plastic, but biodegrades within months or even days.

Single-use, single-serve coffee "pods" are definitely not eco-friendly, which is why refillable pods have been created. Swiss company CoffeeB is taking a different approach, however, with its fully compostable Coffee Balls.

Old electronics are tricky to recycle, meaning they clog up landfills while locking valuable metals away. Now scientists have demonstrated printed circuits that can be degraded on demand, returning their materials to reusable forms.