International Research Team Develops Plastics That Can Be Decomposed In Marine Water

Plastic waste on coral reefs. (Wikimedia Commons/q phia)

JAKARTA - An international research team developed a type of plastic that can be decomposed in seawater, in an effort to reduce environmental pollution and buildup of plastic in the oceans, according to Friday's edition of the academic journal 'Science'.

Materials called "supramolecular" plastics have the same attractiveness and can also be processed such as petroleum-based plastic, according to a team of researchers that includes members of the national science research institute Riken and the University of Tokyo, quoted from Kyodo News Nov. 22.

It is said, this new plastic is made of monomers used in food supplements and made in organic materials.

Mixing these ingredients in water results in separation into two different layers, one of which can be dehydrated to produce environmentally friendly substances, according to Takuzo Aida, director of the Center for Emergent Matter Science.

Salt water causes the material to quickly dissociate into monomers before and then destroyed due to bacteria in the sea or soil.

The material, which can also be recycled and not flammable, is expected to be used on the components of the precision engine and architectural adhesive, with the possibility of further use if made anti-water, the research team said.

It is known, most of the plastics used for packaging and other purposes are believed to be accumulated in the world's oceans, because they are not naturally destroyed after being dumped as garbage.