A new durable, biodegradable plastic breaks down in seawater, offering a potential solution to microplastic pollution. This material, based on supramolecular structures, can be tailored for different uses and is fully recyclable, enhancing its environmental benefits. New Sustainable Plastic Res
Breaks down… into micro micro plastics!
Fun fact: Nano plastics do exist and are the most harmful kind as they can evade kidney filters, accessing your blood stream and doing all kind of hijinks at cellular level.
The point of this research was to avoid even that.
It’s pretty awesome that it even breaks down in soil:
But the problem is that phosphorus and nitrogen are actually bad for aquatic ecosystems: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/what-phosphorus-and-why-are-concerns-mounting-about-its-environmental-impact