Microplastics continue to increase almost everywhere in the world. Experts have found the solution in producing a new type of plant-based plastic that does not turn into microplastics when biodegraded.
Researchers from the University of California at San Diego have developed a plant-based polymer, also called bioplastic, from algae.
It was noted that 97 percent of these plastics biodegrade in landfills within 200 days. Only 35 percent of traditional plastics are biodegradable.
The team managed to make an algae-based polymer called "TPU-FC1" and launched the first biodegradable shoe soles made from fossil algae oil in 2022.
Plastics are made from oil derived from algae, making it the best option for biodegradable products.
The researchers recovered 32 percent of the plant-based microplastics after 90 days and 3 percent after 200 days. This means that 97 percent of the test material biodegraded.
WHAT ARE MICROPLASTICS?
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic products that can take 100 to 1,000 years to break down and are found in our arteries, lungs and placentas.
Microplastics have recently attracted a great deal of attention due to their occurrence and abundance in the products we use in our daily lives.
The tiny particles have been found almost everywhere in the world, from the deepest part of the planet, the Mariana Trench, to the top of Mount Everest.
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