Iron-catalyzed [2+2] oligomerization of butadiene produces (1,n’-divinyl)oligocyclobutane, a new polymer that can be chemically recycled. Credit: Figure by Jonathan Darmon of the Princeton University Department of Chemistry New polybutadiene molecule enchains in squares, a microstructure that enables it to depolymerize under certain conditions, advancing options for closed-loop recycling. As the […]
Based on different commercially available raw materials (e.g., TiO2-mica, Fe2O3-mica), a variety of all-natural bioinspired structural materials with different colors can be fabricated. Credit: GUAN Qingfang Modern life relies closely on plastics, even though the petroleum-based production creates serious environmental challenges. The industry opts out to use sustainable materials due […]
Stand in the soda pop aisle at the supermarket, surrounded by rows of brightly colored plastic bottles and metal cans, and it’s easy to conclude that the main environmental problem here is an overabundance of single-use containers: If we simply recycled more of them, we’d go a long way toward […]
Credit: CC0 Public Domain Of all the plastic we’ve ever produced, only 9% has been recycled. So what happened to all that plastic you’ve put in the recycling bin over the years? Hands up if you grew up thinking that recycling plastic wasteis key to saving the environment. It turns out that […]
There is a credible pathway to significantly reduce ocean plastic flow into the ocean, but only if all solutions are implemented. Credit: (c) The Pew Charitable Trusts/SYSTEMIQ ENLARGE Research lays out viable pathway to “break the plastic wave.” A new analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ finds that […]
Thermoset polymers, found in car parts and electrical appliances, have to be durable and heat-resistant, but typically cannot be easily recycled or broken down after use. MIT chemists have now developed a way to modify thermoset plastics that allows them to be more easily broken down without compromising their mechanical […]
New research from NUI Galway and the University of Limerick has for the first time quantified the volume of plastic from European countries (EU, UK, Switzerland and Norway) that contributes to ocean littering from exported recycling. Credit: Shutterstock/NUI Galway Study Finds That Plastic Recycling From Europe Being Dumped in Asian […]
On the surface of the newly developed catalyst (PtGa-Pb/SiO2), Pt1 sites remain exposed to facilitate catalytic reaction while Pt3 sites (and Ga3 sites) shown with triangles are blocked by Pb. (Yuki Nakaya, et al., Nature Communications, June 5, 2020). Credit: Yuki Nakaya, et al., Nature Communications, June 5, 2020 A […]
Credit: CC0 Public Domain Creating sustainable plastics is vital for the future of our environment, a new report says. It calls for urgent research on the impacts that plastichas on the living world right across its lifecycle, from the carbon footprint of the factories that produce it, right through to the […]
Mussels clumped together on rocks at Whitsand Bay in Cornwall, England. Credit: University of Plymouth Commercially important seafood species are at greater risk of microplastic contamination depending how they clump together in the marine environment, new research suggests. In the first study of its kind, scientists from the University of […]