Synthetic petrochemical plastics can persist in the environment for hundreds of years - Copyright AFP TIMOTHY A. CLARY Synthetic petrochemical plastics can persist in ...

Scientists have succeeded in synthesizing fumaric acid, a raw material for plastics, from CO2 powered by solar energy. Typically, fumaric acid is synthesized from petroleum as a raw material to make ...

There’s a slight whiff of cannibalism in an emerging circular model for sustainable plastics. Insects may soon be used as materials for engineering bioplastics—before the next generation of insects ...

In a landfill, a plastic bottle can take more than a thousand years to break down. But a new process can transform polyethylene plastic in days, using bacteria to eat the waste and then turn it into a ...

Researchers at Michigan State University say they've developed a new biodegradable plastic alternative that's easier to compost. The team created a bio-based polymer blend that’s compostable in both ...

Cooking a delicious risotto and making plastics are actually very similar processes. In both, ingredients come together and are heated to create a product, but current recipes for synthesizing ...

Researchers at Virginia Tech have found a way to make biodegradable packaging stronger while using less energy in the process. The research team from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and ...

— -- Here is one word about an up-and-coming innovation in plastics: cornfields. Bioplastics — most of which are now made from corn — are poised to grab a bigger share of the plastics market as ...

Bacardi rum bottles, Skittles sweet wrappers, designer water bottles—a bevy of companies are developing biodegradable plastic packaging they say is better for the environment than traditional plastics ...