floofloofScientists unveil first-of-its-kind plastic alternative that could shake up the packaging industry — here's why it's important
OK, this is very interesting. One of the biggest limitations with biodegradable plastics is that they’re water-soluble, which makes them useless for most food packaging applications.
If this only breaks down when exposed to saltwater at particular concentrations it might be a lot more useful.
That said, the article’s not specific on which salt… I assume NaCl because that’s the highest concentration in seawater, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that other salts won’t cause the breakdown to start… and the environment isn’t exactly salt-free. Most foodstuffs aren’t de-ionized either.
The article is blogspam, it restates the SciTechDaily article, but with fewer details.
The original article just says “salt water”, so I assume sodium chloride as well, which means it’s probably not useful for most food products. The original paper might have more details, but I’m not bothered enough to try getting it while on my phone.
Sorry for posting a third-hand report of the research.
Even if their plastic doesn’t work for foodstuffs, it is still significant if it could replace conventional plastic packaging for other goods.
Captain AggravatedI bet it would be a boon if it only replaces celophane.
Paper is paywalled, but from the SciTech article it looks like mostly it was sodium sulfate. They did also make some “ocean-degradable plastics”.
Do you think it would it work with dry products, including salt?
If so, that is a large percentage of packaging which this material can replace.