Environment Japanese scientists develop plastic that breaks down in seawater in hours

[thomas]

RIKEN researchers have developed a new type of plastic that dissolves in seawater in just a few hours, presenting a potential breakthrough in the fight against ocean pollution and its devastating impact on marine life. Although biodegradable plastics have been studied for some time, a team from the RIKEN Centre for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo claims that this material decomposes significantly faster and leaves no residue behind.

During a demonstration at their laboratory in Wako, near Tokyo, a small sample of the plastic disappeared entirely in salt water after being stirred for about an hour. Although there are currently no confirmed plans for commercial production, lead researcher Takuzo Aida noted that the project has already garnered strong interest, particularly from the packaging industry. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that plastic pollution is bound to triple by 2040, potentially resulting in the dumping of between 23 and 37 million metric tons of plastic into the oceans each year.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/scientists-japan-develop-plastic-that-dissolves-seawater-within-hours-2025-06-04/

Plastic-like materials that dissolve in the sea

www.riken.jp

 

[nice gaijin]

this is the kind of innovation I like to see, and with truly biodegradable materials I would promise to no longer criticize Japan for over-packaging its snacks!

 

[Ukigumo]

I once co-hosted an Indian game show called 'Scholar Hunt UK' on behalf of the university for whom I worked. The eventual winner won a scholarship to my Uni. The eventual winner, Ceazan Keshvani, was a brilliant and lovely young man. Now, his high school science project saw him make an egg-sized, pliable, resilient plastic from the tons of waste chicken feathers from a factory near his house! He basically made it with his mother's pressure cooker a stove and the information in a chemistry book! This plastic completely and cleanly biodegraded when buried in soil for a few weeks. When he got to the University of Sheffield, the head of chemistry was very excited about his 'invention' and funded a summer project to reverse engineer its manufacture with a view to commercialise it. It would've been a huge deal and he'd've been a wealthy young man. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, they couldn't synthesis it and after months of research, abandoned the endeavour!

After he finished his degree in Biomedical Scinence, Ceazan went to the USA to study medicine and concurrently research for a PhD. I'm sure he must've done very well

 

[mdchachi]

I once co-hosted an Indian game show called 'Scholar Hunt UK' on behalf of the university for whom I worked. The eventual winner won a scholarship to my Uni. The eventual winner, Ceazan Keshvani, was a brilliant and lovely young man. Now, his high school science project saw him make an egg-sized, pliable, resilient plastic from the tons of waste chicken feathers from a factory near his house! He basically made it with his mother's pressure cooker a stove and the information in a chemistry book! This plastic completely and cleanly biodegraded when buried in soil for a few weeks. When he got to the University of Sheffield, the head of chemistry was very excited about his 'invention' and funded a summer project to reverse engineer its manufacture with a view to commercialise it. It would've been a huge deal and he'd've been a wealthy young man. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, they couldn't synthesis it and after months of research, abandoned the endeavour!

After he finished his degree in Biomedical Scinence, Ceazan went to the USA to study medicine and concurrently research for a PhD. I'm sure he must've done very well

I've heard various stories of such things over the years and I'm hoping that these inventions make it into the mass market and help solve this massive problem we have.