A groundbreaking solution to the global plastic crisis has emerged from the laboratories of UC San Diego.
In a remarkable breakthrough, Dr. Adam Feist and Professor Jon Pokorski have devised a type of plastic capable of self-recycling.
Their innovation involves blending traditional polyurethane with a microbial spore, resulting in a plastic that can decompose in compost or natural environments in as little as 5 months.
The details of their pioneering work were published in a recent paper in Nature Communications.
Feist explains the inspiration behind their approach: “There are some studies that show, of the millions, trillions of microbes out there, some can eat the plastic itself. So we were saying if we combine them together, what would happen? And how can that better facilitate that massive problem we have with polymers everywhere?”
Pokorski adds, “It’s pretty awesome. The way we engineered the plastics is to degrade themselves, so it doesn’t really matter where they’re disposed at the end of their lives. Once the spores are woken up they’re able to degrade.”
Their biodegradable plastic exhibits the same durability and elasticity as traditional polyurethane, capable of stretching up to 15 times its original size. It’s comparable to plastics currently used in various applications such as shoe soles and watch bands.
However, unlike conventional plastics, their innovative blend decomposes significantly faster, offering a promising solution to environmental pollution.
Feist and Pokorski believe that mass-producing this self-recycling plastic is feasible for plastic companies. By incorporating microbial spores into their existing ingredients, they can manufacture this environmentally friendly alternative.
Although slightly more expensive, they argue that the cost is justified given the positive impact on pollution and climate change.
“Plastics are extremely useful for many applications in our life,” says Feist. “But I think people are waking up to the fact that it’s really stable and doesn’t go away.”
Their groundbreaking research offers hope for a more sustainable future, where plastics contribute to solutions rather than exacerbate problems.
