Dissolvable Plastic

One of my favorite podcasts, 60-Second Science (available at Scientific American and iTunes), spoke about research being conducted by the University of Southern Mississippi to make stretch wrap plastic that is dissolvable in saltwater. In a nutshell, by incorporating hydrophilic molecules like carboxylic acid into the plastic, the saltwater can break it down within 5 months to CO2 and water. The US military is funding the project so that on-board storage of plastic waste can be reduced by safely dumping it overboard after some minor preparations. For a more complete run-through of the application and hurdles of this research, please check out this article from sciencefriday.com.

posted by Brian Giera on 21 May 2007
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  1. Wait, the US military wants to make it easier to dump waste into the ocean, that’s why they’re funding this?

    — Alex · May 22, 07:23 AM · #

  2. Yes, but in a good, less polluting way.

    — Brian Giera · May 22, 07:34 AM · #

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