Scientists in Japan Develop Non-Toxic Plastic That Dissolves in Seawater Within Hours

Scientists in Japan Develop Non-Toxic Plastic That Dissolves in Seawater Within Hours

Scientists in Japan Develop Non-Toxic Plastic That Dissolves in Seawater Within Hours Japanese scientists were thrilled to receive significant interest from the packaging industry over their new seawater-degradable plastic. Breaking apart into nutritious compounds for ocean-borne bacteria in just 2 to 3 hours depending on the size and thickness, the invention could be a major solution to reducing plastic waste in the environment. GNN has previously reported that the amount of plastic waste in the ocean is currently overestimated by 3,000%, making the remaining total a much-more addressable challenge. To that end, researchers at a lab in Wako city near Tokyo used two ionic monomers to form a salt bond for the basis of the polymer plastic. Despite being strong and flexible like normal petroleum-based plastics, the material is highly vulnerable to salt and immersion in salty ocean water dissolves the plastic in short order. Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the…