Riken Plastics Surpass Conventional Plastics

 

Researchers at Japan's RIKEN Center have created a durable plastic which is not only fully recyclable, and it dissolves in sea water; presenting a revolutionary alternative to traditional plastics which are polluting oceans with harmful microplastics.

The new plastic from RIKEN and University of Tokyo dissolves in seawater in hours and breaks down in soil in 10 days, boosting soil health with nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen. 

The RIKEN team was able to generate plastics with varying degrees of hardnesses and tensile strength, finding all were comparable or in some cases better than conventional plastics. This means that the new type of plastic can be customized to meet demand; hard scratch resistant plastics, rubber silicone-like plastics, strong weight-bearing plastics, or low tensile flexible plastics are all possible.

This plastic is as strong as conventional plastic but leaves no harmful microplastics. The product is a big step toward ending plastic pollution and supporting sustainable farming.

RIKEN is Japan's largest comprehensive research institution renowned for high-quality research in a diverse range of scientific disciplines. Founded in 1917, initially as a private research foundation, RIKEN has grown rapidly in size and scope, today encompassing a network of world-class research centers and institutes across Japan.

Read more here: Japanese researchers create ‘revolutionary’ plastic which dissolves in salt water