We have sipped, packaged and played our way into a global plastics crisis.
Why it matters: Activist consumer groups are pushing for less use, and to some extent, less production, while industry aims for increased recycling.
The big picture: Plastics demand is projected to only increase — and the footprint of plastic pollution with it.
Continue reading… “Special report: Our plastic planet”
Most plastics have a chemical history that makes starting a new life a challenge. The dyes and flame retardants that make them perfect for say, a couch cushion or a bottle of detergent, make them tough to transform into a desirable end product—one of the reasons just 10% of plastic in the United States gets recycled. Now, researchers have created a plastic with a special chemical bond that helps it separate out from those additives, turning it back into a pure, valuable product that can be reused again and again.
To make the new material, researchers tweaked a type of vitrimer, a glasslike plastic developed in 2011, by adding molecules that change the chemical bonds holding it together. These new bonds, called dynamic covalent diketoenamine bonds, require less energy to break than those in traditional plastics.
Continue reading… “Just 10% of U.S. plastic gets recycled. A new kind of plastic could change that”
Ocean Of Opportunity
Earth’s oceans contain tens of millions of tons of plastic pollution. But a new technique that creates biodegradable plastics out of seaweed could finally give the oceans relief.
Bioplastics are plastics manufactured from biomass sources instead of fossil fuels. Many degrade far more quickly than traditional plastics, but creating them typically requires fertile soil and fresh water, which aren’t available everywhere.
Now, researchers have found a way to create a bioplastic using seaweed, a far more accessible resource — a promising new approach that could both reduce strain on the plastic-clogged oceans and reduce the Earth’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Continue reading… “Microorganisms that eat seaweed can create biodegradable plastic”
Employees work on the assembly line of the electric bus at a BYD’s production base on January 23, 2018 in Xi’an, China. China’s largest electric carmaker BYD sold 113,669 new energy vehicles in 2017, up 13.4 percent year-on-year. (Photo by VCG/Getty Images)
Projections have suggested that the advent of electric vehicles will have a dramatic impact on oil demand and now its starting to show. With China adding the equivalent of London’s bus fleet every 5 weeks, that’s 279,000 barrels of oil a day removed from demand.
Continue reading… “Electric vehicles begin to bite into oil demand”
The vessel will be able to scoop up around five tons of plastic every day, and then melt it down – all in yet another private effort to help clean up the ocean.
Continue reading… “Norwegian billionaire funds worlds largest yacht to scoop up plastic”
The discovery includes stiff plastics and flexible gels that can mend themselves if torn.
A collection of new plastics that are recyclable and adaptable have been developed by researchers – and the discovery began with a laboratory mistake. They include strong, stiff plastics and flexible gels that can mend themselves if torn.
Continue reading… “New recyclable plastics discovered ‘by accident’”
Phthalate levels correlated with infertility in men.
Federal researchers recently spent four years tracking 501 couples as they tried to have children in a study on the impact of everyday chemicals on fertility. One of the findings stood out: while both men and women were exposed to known toxic chemicals, men seemed much more likely to suffer fertility problems as a result.
Continue reading… “Widely-used phthalates a threat to male fertility”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.