Plastics

Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University have devised a method of trapping tiny plastic particles using a sticky bacterial biofilm, which they hope could find use in wastewater plants to prevent them from entering the ocean.

Most plastics don’t break down easily – and when they do, they create problematic microplastic particles. A new type of compostable plastic is embedded with enzymes that, when triggered, quickly break the material down to its constituent molecules.

A new study has delved into the kind of damage microplastics can cause to human lungs, with researchers observing changes to the shape of lung cells and a slowdown in their metabolism and growth when exposed to these tiny plastic particles.

A new study has investigated how BPA and BPS plasticizers impact nerve cells in the adult brain, with the authors finding that they can permanently disrupt signal transmission, and also interfere with neural circuits involved in perception.

Like most other commonly used types of plastic, polyurethane is typically made from non-renewable crude oil, and it takes centuries to break down when discarded. Now, however, scientists have created a biodegradable polyurethane-like polymer using fish waste.

Microplastics are increasingly found polluting waterways and causing unknown damage to the health of animals and humans. Now, a new study provides evidence there's cross over with another looming public health threat – antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

As useful as plastics are in our everyday life, they’re difficult to recycle, with most ending up in landfill or the environment. Now, researchers in Japan have used a novel catalyst to recycle a common plastic into useful products like fuel and wax.

A new study has highlighted a key link in the chain of how plastic pollution travels, demonstrating how microplastics can be swept across the surface of the seas by winds that carry them upward into the atmosphere, and into remote parts of the ocean.

A new study as shone a light on the role deep-sea trenches can play in the movement of plastic pollution, revealing how they can act as traps, accumulating large amounts of microplastic particles and holding them there.

Because different polymers have different qualities, multiple types will often be layered together in products such as food packaging. And while such multilayer plastics are currently non-recyclable, a new technique may change that.

Scientists are gaining a clearer picture of how far-reaching plastic pollution might be. The latest discovery in this area comes from high altitude, with researchers uncovering evidence of microplastics just below the summit of Mt Everest.

Often made from plants, recycled material and various forms of organic matter, bioplastics promise a number of advantages over conventional plastics produced through fossil fuels, but a new study suggests that safety may not be one of them.