There’s a slight whiff of cannibalism in an emerging circular model for sustainable plastics. Insects may soon be used as materials for engineering bioplastics—before the next generation of insects ...

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 14, 2023 — Imagine using insects as a source of chemicals to make plastics that can biodegrade later — with the help of that very same type of bug. That concept is closer to ...

Biodegradable plastics are sold as a simple fix for a world drowning in packaging, but the reality is far messier than the marketing suggests. Labels that promise bags, cups, and utensils will ...

Researchers are optimizing the process of extracting chitin from black soldier fly carcasses, which can be used to synthesize biodegradable bioplastics. Using insects to make plastics that are ...

Global plastic production has increased from 369 million tons in 2016 to 404.5 million metric tons in 2020, partly due to materials used in the COVID-19 pandemic. (Getty Images) FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — ...

Plastic pollution is a major threat to human survival, with more than six hundred thousand tons of plastics on Earth. 2 In an effort to reduce the concentration of conventional plastics, scientists ...

Bacardi rum bottles, Skittles sweet wrappers, designer water bottles—a bevy of companies are developing biodegradable plastic packaging they say is better for the environment than traditional plastics ...

Biodegradable plastics may not be the solution to plastic pollution many hoped for, with a University of Otago study showing they are still harmful to fish. Petroleum-derived microplastics are known ...

A thermoplastic form of chitosan retains biological activity, enabling molded biodegradable plastics that store enzymes or living microbes and break down pollutants while maintaining strength and ...

Several new projects turn waste into food for microbes that create PHA, a type of plastic that fully decomposes on its own, offering a less costly alternative to current bioplastics. This fork made of ...

Imagine using insects as a source of chemicals to make plastics that can biodegrade later with the help of that same type of bug. That concept is closer to reality than one might expect, according to ...