Biodegradable plastics don’t break down on their own. Researchers found ocean microbes play a key role, and results can vary ...

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 14, 2023 — Imagine using insects as a source of chemicals to make plastics that can biodegrade later — with the help of that very same type of bug. That concept is closer to ...

Biodegradable plastics are sold as a simple fix for a world drowning in packaging, but the reality is far messier than the marketing suggests. Labels that promise bags, cups, and utensils will ...

Global plastic production has increased from 369 million tons in 2016 to 404.5 million metric tons in 2020, partly due to materials used in the COVID-19 pandemic. (Getty Images) FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — ...

Researchers are optimizing the process of extracting chitin from black soldier fly carcasses, which can be used to synthesize biodegradable bioplastics. Using insects to make plastics that are ...

A thermoplastic form of chitosan retains biological activity, enabling molded biodegradable plastics that store enzymes or living microbes and break down pollutants while maintaining strength and ...

There are no great solutions to the problem of throwaway plastics. They can clog up landfills for centuries, or get dumped into rivers and break down into toxic microplastics. Incineration produces ...

Bacardi rum bottles, Skittles sweet wrappers, designer water bottles—a bevy of companies are developing biodegradable plastic packaging they say is better for the environment than traditional plastics ...

Several new projects turn waste into food for microbes that create PHA, a type of plastic that fully decomposes on its own, offering a less costly alternative to current bioplastics. This fork made of ...

Imagine using insects as a source of chemicals to make plastics that can biodegrade later with the help of that same type of bug. That concept is closer to reality than one might expect, according to ...