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Bye-bye microplastics: new plastic is recyclable and fully ocean-degradable [View all]
https://www.riken.jp/en/news_pubs/research_news/pr/2024/20241122_1/index.htmlNov. 26, 2024
Bye-bye microplastics: new plastic is recyclable and fully ocean-degradable
…
As with oil with water, after mixing the two monomers together in water, the researchers observed two separated liquids. One was thick and viscous and contained the important structural cross linked salt bridges, while the other was watery and contained salt ions. For example, when sodium hexametaphosphate and alkyl diguanidinium sulfate were used, sodium sulphate salt was expelled into the watery layer. The final plastic, alkyl SP₂, was made by drying what remained in the thick viscous liquid layer.
The “desalting” turned out to be the critical step; without it, the resulting dried material was a brittle crystal, unfit for use. Resalting the plastic by placing it in salt water caused the interactions to reverse and the plastic’s structure destabilized in a matter of hours. Thus, having created a strong and durable plastic that can still be dissolved under certain conditions, the researchers next tested the plastic’s quality.
The new plastics are non-toxic and non-flammable—meaning no CO₂ emissions—and can be reshaped at temperatures above 120°C like other thermoplastics. By testing different types of guanidinium sulfates, the team was able to generate plastics that had varying hardnesses and tensile strengths, all comparable or better than conventional plastics. This means that the new type of plastic can be customized for need; hard scratch resistant plastics, rubber silicone-like plastics, strong weight-bearing plastics, or low tensile flexible plastics are all possible. The researchers also created ocean-degradable plastics using polysaccharides that form cross-linked salt bridges with guanidinium monomers. Plastics like these can be used in 3D printing as well as medical or health-related applications.
Lastly, the researchers investigated the new plastic’s recyclability and biodegradability. After dissolving the initial new plastic in salt water, they were able to recover 91% of the hexametaphosphate and 82% of the guanidinium as powders, indicating that recycling is easy and efficient. In soil, sheets of the new plastic degraded completely over the course of 10 days, supplying the soil with phosphorous and nitrogen similar to a fertilizer.
…
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.ado1782Bye-bye microplastics: new plastic is recyclable and fully ocean-degradable
…
As with oil with water, after mixing the two monomers together in water, the researchers observed two separated liquids. One was thick and viscous and contained the important structural cross linked salt bridges, while the other was watery and contained salt ions. For example, when sodium hexametaphosphate and alkyl diguanidinium sulfate were used, sodium sulphate salt was expelled into the watery layer. The final plastic, alkyl SP₂, was made by drying what remained in the thick viscous liquid layer.
The “desalting” turned out to be the critical step; without it, the resulting dried material was a brittle crystal, unfit for use. Resalting the plastic by placing it in salt water caused the interactions to reverse and the plastic’s structure destabilized in a matter of hours. Thus, having created a strong and durable plastic that can still be dissolved under certain conditions, the researchers next tested the plastic’s quality.
The new plastics are non-toxic and non-flammable—meaning no CO₂ emissions—and can be reshaped at temperatures above 120°C like other thermoplastics. By testing different types of guanidinium sulfates, the team was able to generate plastics that had varying hardnesses and tensile strengths, all comparable or better than conventional plastics. This means that the new type of plastic can be customized for need; hard scratch resistant plastics, rubber silicone-like plastics, strong weight-bearing plastics, or low tensile flexible plastics are all possible. The researchers also created ocean-degradable plastics using polysaccharides that form cross-linked salt bridges with guanidinium monomers. Plastics like these can be used in 3D printing as well as medical or health-related applications.
Lastly, the researchers investigated the new plastic’s recyclability and biodegradability. After dissolving the initial new plastic in salt water, they were able to recover 91% of the hexametaphosphate and 82% of the guanidinium as powders, indicating that recycling is easy and efficient. In soil, sheets of the new plastic degraded completely over the course of 10 days, supplying the soil with phosphorous and nitrogen similar to a fertilizer.
…
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