Plastics

Scientists investigating more eco-friendly forms of plastic production have made an exciting breakthrough, with the discovery of a bacterial system that generates one of the material's key building blocks through its natural metabolic process.

What kind of threat can tiny plastic fragments pose to the health of living organisms? Scientists have turned to human tissue for answers, and discovered evidence of plastic fragments in every single sample they studied.

Scientists have developed a new method to detect trace amounts of plastic in edible tissues, and tried it out on a range of seafood such as oysters, prawns, squid, crabs and sardines to find plastic particles in all samples tested.

Scientists have begun to uncover evidence of how the digestive systems of certain animals can play a part in plastic fragmentation, with the latest concerning a small crustacean that can turn microplastics into “nanoplastics” in just four days.

Scientists have long hoped to give plastic conductive properties by adding extra materials, and one team of researchers has now put forward a promising possibility its hoped could find uses in large touchscreens or window-mounted solar cells.

In an effort to tackle to growing problem of plastic pollution, NEC Corp has today made commercially available a bioplastic made with plant ingredients that breaks down in the environment in around four years.

If there's one way of getting automobiles to use less gas, it's by lowering their weight. With that in mind, European researchers have now created a plastic camshaft module, which they claim offers more advantages than simply being lightweight.

A new study out of the UK has revealed what plastic pollution might mean for hermit crabs, with an environment rich in microplastics seeming to affect their cognitive performance when selecting a home.

Two new studies by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) are shedding new light on plastic waste in the Antarctic. Using surveys of marine debris, researchers determined the source of plastics in the region and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts.

A new technology out of Purdue University is a shining example of using green tech to craft next-gen batteries, with scientists using a common form of plastic waste to craft a key component through the use of standard household microwave technology.

Understanding the extent of plastic pollution is incredibly difficult. Scientists have again found evidence of small particles in the most remote of places, discovering microplastics lodged in cores of Antarctic sea ice for the first time.

A new study by scientists in Italy has shone a light on the way lobsters digest plastic particles, finding that their stomach actually grinds them up into tiny fragments that can pose a risk to smaller creatures in the food chain.