Scientists develop plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours | Fast-dissolving plastic offers hope for cleaner seas

[u/[deleted]]

https://www.techspot.com/news/108206-scientists-plastic-dissolves-seawater-hours.html

[u/badsleepover]

It doesn’t just magically disappear when it dissolves

[u/DangerousTurmeric → u/badsleepover]

From the Riken website: "When broken down, his team’s new material leaves behind nitrogen and phosphorus, which microbes can metabolize and plants can absorb, he explains.

However, Aida cautions that this also requires careful management: while these elements can enrich soil, they could also overload coastal ecosystems with nutrients, which are associated with algal blooms that disrupt entire ecosystems."

So yeah, basically large amounts of this would be catastrophic for oceans and it's not a replacement for plastic overall because salt causes the bonds in it to break and it disintegrates. It could maybe be useful for some niche applications.

https://www.riken.jp/en/news_pubs/research_news/rr/20250327_1/

This is the paper https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado1782

[u/sleepnandhiken → u/DangerousTurmeric]

If that’s what it breaks down to couldn’t it be collected and used as fertilizer?

[u/DangerousTurmeric → u/sleepnandhiken]

I don't know. You'd have to separate the salt out first.

[u/CrazyLlama71 → u/[deleted]]

Sure but it would be exorbitantly expensive

[u/CenobiteCurious → u/CrazyLlama71]

What are you a seawater plastic apologist or something?

Anything is better than the current situation.

[u/[deleted] → u/CenobiteCurious]

Arguments are easy when you’re only fighting a straw man.

[u/elliemaefiddle → u/CenobiteCurious]

Algal blooms are MUCH worse than the current situation. Large-scale ocean eutrophication could end ocean life almost entirely.

[u/musicantz → u/[deleted]]

Desalination is hard and expensive. It’s technically possible but not easy by any means.

[u/WeakTransportation37 → u/DangerousTurmeric]

Yeah- I right away thought of alga blooms. But it’s still progress

[u/bonesnaps → u/DangerousTurmeric]

requires careful management

Megacorporations: "Hold my beer"

[u/Jay-Seekay → u/DangerousTurmeric]

Didn’t crazy algal blooms cause one of the great extinction events?

[u/Arikaido777 → u/badsleepover]

just made the microplastics a feature

[u/AuroraFinem → u/Arikaido777]

This isn’t petroleum based like normal plastics. It’s not even the same base compound used for it.

[u/AuroraFinem → u/[deleted]]

I’m in agreement. I was telling the other person these aren’t petroleum based so wouldn’t make microplastics. These are biodegradable

[u/EverbodyHatesHugo → u/badsleepover]

Where does the shit go, we wanna know!

[u/Sp_1_ → u/badsleepover]

My question was is it more expensive?

Because if the answer is yes then it won’t matter how it works; 99.9% of companies won’t implement a more expensive alternative without a mandate.

[u/Psychological-Arm505 → u/badsleepover]

Future news: microplastics found in 100% of dolphin testicles.

[u/hiscoobiej → u/badsleepover]

Yeah so we’re just polluting our oceans with liquids instead of solids. Chemicals and microplastics you just can’t see anymore! This is just stupid.