Synthetic petrochemical plastics can persist in the environment for hundreds of years - Copyright AFP TIMOTHY A. CLARY Synthetic petrochemical plastics can persist in ...

Scientists have succeeded in synthesizing fumaric acid, a raw material for plastics, from CO2 powered by solar energy. Typically, fumaric acid is synthesized from petroleum as a raw material to make ...

In a landfill, a plastic bottle can take more than a thousand years to break down. But a new process can transform polyethylene plastic in days, using bacteria to eat the waste and then turn it into a ...

Researchers at Michigan State University say they've developed a new biodegradable plastic alternative that's easier to compost. The team created a bio-based polymer blend that’s compostable in both ...

Clodagh Hayes and Grainne Dineen, students from Loreto Secondary School in Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland, shared their progress ...

While biodegradable plastics currently account for 0.5% of the hundreds of millions of tons of plastic produced annually, a growing demand for the alternative reflects consumer awareness and corporate ...

Amid the tall ceilings of a massive lab, innovation is bubbling to the surface. "We're trying to convert the food waste to bioplastic," said Drew Wang, the principal investigator of a new project at ...

When plastic was first introduced in 1907, it was hailed as a miracle material. The petroleum-based substance could seemingly do anything — harden into a rock-solid car part or a flexible waterproof ...

Senior Lecturer in Sustainability and the Built Environment, University of Portsmouth Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Over 100 million ...

Bacardi rum bottles, Skittles sweet wrappers, designer water bottles—a bevy of companies are developing biodegradable plastic packaging they say is better for the environment than traditional plastics ...