Scientists at MIT have developed a new type of biodegradable material that could help reduce the amount of microplastics in the environment.
The material, which is made from renewable resources, can be broken down into harmless sugars and amino acids by microorganisms.
Experts have hailed the innovation as good news for the environment due to microplastics’ status as a major source of pollution.
Microplastics are found in everything from cosmetics to clothing and can take hundreds of years to break down. This means they can accumulate in the environment, where they can harm wildlife and potentially human health.
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The new material developed by the MIT researchers could be used to replace the plastic microbeads found in many personal care products, such as exfoliating scrubs and toothpaste.
It could also be used to encapsulate nutrients in food and agricultural products.
“This is just one small part of the broader microplastics issue, but as a society we’re beginning to acknowledge the seriousness of the problem. This work offers a step forward in addressing it,” says Ana Jaklenec, a principal investigator at MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.
“Polymers are incredibly useful and essential in countless applications in our daily lives, but they come with downsides. This is an example of how we can reduce some of those negative aspects.”
Credit: Linzixuan (Rhoda) Zhang, David Mankus, Dhruv Varshney, Ruiqing Xiao, Shahad Alsaiari, Abigail Lytton- Jean, Robert Langer, Ana Jaklenec
The new material is still in the early stages of development, but it has the potential to make a significant contribution to the fight against microplastic pollution.
“We wanted to use this as a first step to demonstrate how it’s possible to develop a new class of materials, to expand from existing material categories, and then to apply it to different applications,” added Linzixuan (Rhoda) Zhang, an MIT graduate student in chemical engineering, the paper’s lead author.
Why this matters:
This breakthrough could significantly reduce the amount of microplastic waste polluting our oceans and harming marine life. Providing a biodegradable alternative offers a more sustainable solution for industries reliant on microplastics. The potential to encapsulate nutrients could also improve food security and nutrition globally.