Newly Developed Plastic Set To Replace Microplastics
A Japanese research team has developed a breakthrough plastic that fully dissolves in seawater within hours — pointing toward cleaner and safer packaging
[Gemini AI image for representation]
Microplastics have infiltrated our food supply. Now, a Japanese research team has developed a breakthrough plastic that fully dissolves in seawater within hours—pointing toward cleaner and safer packaging.
Microplastics represent an escalating challenge worldwide. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, an estimated 2.7 million tons were released into the environment in 2020 alone—with projections suggesting that figure could double by 2040. These microscopic particles are now virtually everywhere.
Despite being in many reusable containers, or just in disposable containers like water bottles, plastic as a material is one of the worst for the environment. In fact, we're currently experiencing a longstanding plastic crisis in the oceans, with plastic pollution continuing to be a huge problem all around the world, with an entire island of garbage even making headlines back in 2017.
Plastic has become so prevalent in our lives, that some even claim we're eating tiny chunks of plastic with every meal, a claim that has continued to gain even more traction with growing concerns about scary levels of microplastics being found in the human brain. Thankfully, researchers may have created a new plant-based plastic that is completely biodegradable.
One of the primary reasons plastics has become such a relied-upon material in our lives is because of how cheap it is to make, and how durable and versatile it is. However, that versatility and durability come at a cost. Scientists estimate that plastic can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose depending on the item.
The material is so hard to break down because it is not natural at all. Sure, it is made from natural components, but the actual bonds needed to make the material are a product of scientific breakthroughs. And while we have seen some experimenting with things like breaking down plastic with air and moisture, new research is taking things a step further and actually creating plastic that is biodegradable from the start.
But, it's important to note that this is not the first time we have seen scientists looking at making entirely new types of plastic. In 2024, we saw researchers creating a new plastic that could eat itself, allowing it to slowly biodegrade in landfills.
This latest attempt, though, approaches the problem from a different perspective. Instead of relying on bacteria that eats the plastic, researchers in Japan started with wood, which they then injected with salt, to create an entirely new type of plant-based plastic that can be degraded quickly by exposing it to saltwater.
Japanese Research on New Plastic
Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo have created a new plastic made from plant cellulose that keeps its strength in everyday use yet breaks apart in seawater within a few hours. In lab tests, a small piece of the material disappeared in salt water after about an hour of stirring.
The research team led by Takuzo Aida published their report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. For the sake of transparency, the researchers emphasised that plastics labeled as “biodegradable” are not a new invention in themselves, nor is their development, strictly speaking, entirely novel.
Cellulose-based plastics have existed for some time, but they are often combined with additives that only fully break down under specific industrial conditions—such as high heat or in composting facilities. The cellulose used during research was created from wood pulp.
This allows the group to utilise an ingredient that is both FDA-approved and biodegradable. Taking the cellulose, the researchers combined it with an agent derived from ions of polyethylene-imine guanidinium. When mixed in with water, the opposite charges grew attractive, which allowed for a strong network of cross-linked ions.
These connected ions allowed for a strong connection. However, the material itself was both brittle and glass-like. The researchers improved its flexibility and strength by adding in choline chloride — a food safe additive that is often added to animal feed and even human supplements thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties.
The material also includes a protective coating, which helps prevent accidental breakdowns if the material is exposed to saltwater before intended.
While the base material is abundant — some estimate that nature produces at least 100 billion tons of cellulose each year — it is the fact that the created material can be changed so drastically that makes it such a promising alternative to traditional plastic.
Instead of relying on adding more hard-to-degrade components to strengthen it, the researchers can simply change the amount of choline chloride to the mixture to create different types of the plant-based plastic.
And, because it does not rely on the traditional components used to create plastic, there's no concern over microplastics being left behind after it degrades. Further, because of the sheer amount of cellulose generated by nature each year, as well as the prevalence of the additive required to make it stronger and more flexible.
The researchers believe that the creation of this new plastic could easily be scaled up, allowing it to become a proper, widely-available alternative to traditional plastics; one of the primary researchers on the study, Takuzo Aida, said in a press conference that the team has "created a flexible yet tough plastic material that safely decomposes in the ocean. This technology will help protect Earth from plastic pollution."
In their findings, the researchers point out that while this new material will not replace all plastics overnight, it still represents a significant step forward for the planet—without requiring people to make major compromises in their daily lives.
Further refinements and testing will likely be needed before the new plastic is widely deployed. Nevertheless, it could already serve as a promising approach to taking on the microplastics challenge.
Let’s hope it really do.
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