New process makes' biodegradable 'plastics truly compostable! (1)

Plastic is white pollution, it takes 3~ 400 years to be decomposed by the land after the waste landfill. The decomposition process will release harmful substances, harmful to human health and the environment. Biodegradable plastics have been considered as a way to solve the problem of plastic pollution that has plagued the world. Therefore, China has issued a series of "plastic limit regulations" and encouraged the development of biodegradable plastics. Biodegradable plastics are "compostable", which is treated by microbial fermentation and made into fertilizer. However, today's "compostable" bags, utensils and cup LIDS not only don't break down completely during the composting process, but they also contaminateother recyclable plastics, causing headaches for recyclers. Most biodegradable plastics, made mostly from PLA, end up in landfills, where they last as long as plastic. How to effectively break down biodegradable plastics and make them "compostable" is a hot topic of debate among researchers.

Ting Xu and her team at the University of California, Berkeley, have come up with a way to make these compostable plastics break down more easily. Just by heating and adding water, plastic breaks down in a matter of weeks. The research addresses the problem of rapid and effective degradation and has the plastics industry and environmentalists excited. The results of this study were published in the latest issue of Nature under the title "Near-complete depolymerization of Polyesters with Nano - Dispersed Micium".