Plastic is a crucial part of everyday life. Being so interwoven into our society researchers are attempting to create plant-based versions and more dynamic ways to recycle.
One of the biggest challenges come from consumers as well as companies. Both parties want materials that won’t degrade while being used, but will degrade quickly once disposed of, says Andrew Dove, a professor of chemistry at the University of Birmingham. “The world wants it both ways.”
As common as it is, plastic is a truly unique material. Plastic is use for transporting food and water, along with protecting solar cells and windmill blades that drive the renewable energy economy.
Plastic is a necessity but shouldn’t be used for everything. Plastic is recycled or burned as a source of energy, but an estimated 79% of plastic waste has either ended up in landfills or the environment.
There is now a push for green-plastic materials, made from sustainable materials like cups made from corn-based plastic (polylactic acid) and compostable chip bags that degrade under certain circumstances.
Scientist are trying to find some sort of middle-ground between making a plastic easy to break down, and the need for durability and other desired characteristics.
An important long-term goal is to replace petroleum-based plastic. As of now, it accumulates in landfills and researchers are aggressively searching for new ways to make and recycle today’s materials.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers discovered a new way to create plastic found in epoxies and polyurethane. The issue is that the process requires large amounts of water and hasn’t been demonstrated to work on an industrial scale.
Scientist are also experimenting with degrading plastics by using, chemicals that can selectively degrade a single type of plastic in a stream of mixed plastic waste.
It’s going to take a combination of new materials and improved recycling methods to minimize our dependency on plastic.
