Creating a non-carcinogenic plant-based plastic

New plastics that do not decompose into cancer-causing microplastics could be the solution to eliminating the rise in toxic substances found in food, water and bodies.

Researchers at the University of California developed a plant-based polymer, also called bioplastic, from algae, and discovered that 97% of it biodegrades in landfills over a period of 200 days, according to the British Daily Mail.

The new innovation was compared to other types of plastic, as it was found that only 35% of traditional plastic decomposes in the same time frame, while microplastics are small fragments of regular plastic products found in the arteries, lungs and placenta, which can take between 100 and 1000 years to decompose.

As a result of beginning to understand the implications of microplastics, researchers sought to find alternatives “to materials that already exist and ensure that these alternatives will eventually biodegrade,” said Michael Burkhart, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC San Diego and a co-author of the study. “Its useful life rather than accumulating in the environment.”

The research team successfully created an algae-based polymer, called TPU-FC1, and launched the first biodegradable polyurethane shoe soles made from fossil algae oil in 2022. The plastic is made from petroleum derived from algae, making it the best choice for biodegradable products. In the future.

For the latest research, researchers ground plant polymers into fine particles and used three measuring instruments to test whether microbes in compost break down the material.

They used a respirometer that tests the amount of carbon dioxide released when you break down the material, and found that it complies 100% with industry standards for biodegradability, as the industry standard for biodegradability is that the product must decompose at least 90% in less than six months.

The research team then compared algae-based microplastics with petroleum-based microplastics using the water flotation method. Since plastics float, they can be easily removed from the surface of the water. The researchers examined both types of plastics after periods of 90 to 200 days, but at the end of the test, almost all of the oil-based microplastics were recovered.

Meanwhile, the researchers recovered only 32% of the plant microplastics after 90 days, and 3% after 200 days, meaning 97% of the test material had biodegraded.

The final step was to detect the presence of monomers, the small molecules that make up the plastic, to verify that the polymer had decomposed back into the primary plant materials that were used to manufacture it.

“This material is the first plastic material proven to not produce microplastics as we use them,” said Stephen Mayfield, co-researcher of the study and professor in the College of Biological Sciences, noting that it is “more than just a sustainable solution to the final product life cycle and crowded landfills.” “It’s actually plastic that won’t make living things sick.”

This discovery represents an important step towards eliminating the amount of toxic microplastics that can cause heart attacks, some types of cancer, fertility problems and dementia.

Some researchers and public health experts have also expressed concerns that exposure to microplastics could lead to the birth of underweight babies, as recent studies have found that the average liter of bottled water purchased in stores contains more than 240,000 pieces of nanoplastic. While the majority of meat and plant-based alternatives contain microplastics that have been linked to cancer.

Scientists warned that the transition to manufacturing the new material would take some time because current manufacturing equipment was only made for traditional plastics, but Burkhart explained that when the research team began the study, they were told “it was impossible, but what has been achieved now proves that there is a different reality.”