New “living plastic” self-destructs in just 6 days without leaving microplastics
Scientists have developed a new 'living plastic' embedded with dormant Bacillus subtilis spores that can fully decompose the material in six days. This innovation aims to solve the environmental crisis caused by long-lasting plastic waste.
Why it matters
This technology offers a potential breakthrough in waste management by creating biodegradable materials that do not leave behind harmful microplastics.
Many plastic items are used for only a few minutes or hours, but the material can remain in the environment for decades or even centuries. Researchers are now exploring a different approach: plastics designed to break themselves down when activated.
Known as living plastics, these materials contain dormant microbes capable of degrading the surrounding polymer. In a study published in ACS Applied Polymer Materials , scientists developed a version that fully decomposed in six days without producing microplastics.
Zhuojun Dai, a corresponding author on the paper, explains that "the realization that traditional plastics persist for centuries, while many applications, like packaging, are short-lived, led us to ask: Could we build degradation directly into the material's life cycle?"
Turning Microbes Into a Built-In Disposal System
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in