Demand for biodegradable polymers has been rising as a result of environmental concerns regarding the use of nonrenewable materials. Styrofoam and other plastics are among the most produced materials ...

MIT researchers have identified how communities of ocean bacteria cooperate to decompose biodegradable plastics, a finding ...

Plastic pollution is a major threat to human survival, with more than six hundred thousand tons of plastics on Earth. 2 In an effort to reduce the concentration of conventional plastics, scientists ...

While natural polymers, including starches and cellulose, are still commonly used in biomedical research, the utilization of synthetic biodegradable polymers in pharmaceutical and tissue-engineering ...

Old trees are learning new tricks with the advent of composite materials. A "green composite" made from biodegradable polymers and the waste bark of the Yakushima Jisugi tree was developed by a ...

Global industrial value chains are undergoing a major structural shift driven by waste reduction policies, lifecycle accountability frameworks, and corporate ESG compliance mandates. Biodegradable ...

Strings of sugars called polysaccharides are the most abundant biopolymers on Earth. Because of their versatile and environmentally friendly properties, these molecules could eventually replace some ...

There's a good chance you've touched something made out of the polyolefin polymer today. It's often used in polyethylene products like plastic bags or polypropylene products like diapers. As useful as ...

A partly decomposed shoe, covered in mussels, on a sunny pier. Algenesis submerged shoes made with its biodegradable polyurethane foam in the Pacific Ocean to demonstrate their decomposition. Credit: ...

We now generate huge amounts of plastic waste, especially in the packaging industry and agriculture. Oil-based polymers are becoming more and more expensive, due to rising oil prices that are due in ...