Synthetic, non-biodegradable plastics are major sources of environmental pollution and have prompted a rising interest in sustainable, biodegradable alternatives derived from natural polymers. “Tara gum,” derived from the seeds of the tara tree (Caesalpinia spinosa), stands out as a promising solution. This natural, water-soluble substance contains polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates), including
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Researchers have developed a process that uses insects as a source of chemicals to make biodegradable plastics. A team from Texas A&M University have been utilising waste products left over from farming black soldier flies. The larvae of these flies contain many proteins and other nutritious compounds, so the immature insects
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The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, an international network working towards a waste-free world without incineration, has called on the Nigerian government to ban single-use plastics in order to effectively reduce the rise in plastic pollution. It made the call in Abuja during the INC-2 stakeholders engagement workshop that involved the
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In 2019, MIT’s Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Office collaborated with several research labs in the Department of Biology to determine the feasibility of recycling clean lab plastics. Based on early successes with waste isolation and plastics collection, EHS collaborated with GreenLabs Recycling, a local startup, to remove and recycle
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Drinking a cup of takeaway coffee once a week could expose you to some 90,000 potentially harmful plastic particles each year, new research shows. Thousands of microplastic particles were found to be present in drinks served in the three main types of takeaway cups. A single cup released nearly 1,500 particles after
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easyJet is introducing new uniforms for its cabin crew and pilots that are made from recycled plastic, with 45 bottles going into each outfit, the firm said. Up to half a million bottles will be re-used each year as part of the change to the new uniform, which is made from
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It’s well known that microplastics have infiltrated much of the world’s oceans, where these persistent pieces of garbage threaten the livelihood of marine life. But truly quantifying the extent of this problem globally remains a challenge. Now, a pair of researchers are proposing a novel approach to tracking these minute scraps
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Michael Pratt doesn't want to change the way you take out the trash. Instead, he wants to change what happens to trash when it ends up in a landfill or the middle of the ocean. Pratt is the founder of Pivet, a new company that makes smartphone cases. You might think
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With the ever-increasing worldwide mass production of plastic, the inefficiency of current plastic recycling strategies has raised several environmental, societal, and economic concerns. Magnetic density separation (MDS) is an efficient state-of-the-art recycling technique that uses magnetized fluids to separate different types of plastic particles. Researcher Sina Tajfirooz has developed and
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Plastic compounding market has gained major traction over the years due to multiple application across various sectors like electrical & electronics, aerospace, construction, consumer goods and automotive. Compounding starts with base resin and is essentially a process wherein the plastics melt and blend with other additives with changes in its
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