Scientists Create First Biodegradable Plastic

Used plastic bottles seen in a container in Bangkok, Thailand, March 4, 2020. (AFP Photo)
Used plastic bottles seen in a container in Bangkok, Thailand, March 4, 2020. (AFP Photo)
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Scientists Create First Biodegradable Plastic

Used plastic bottles seen in a container in Bangkok, Thailand, March 4, 2020. (AFP Photo)
Used plastic bottles seen in a container in Bangkok, Thailand, March 4, 2020. (AFP Photo)

Scientists have created the first plastic material that can break down in few weeks when exposed to heat and water. Most compostable plastics, made primarily of the polyester known as polylactic acid, or PLA, end up in landfills and last as long as forever plastics.

US researchers embedded polyester-eating enzymes in the plastic as it's made. These enzymes are protected by a simple polymer wrapping. When exposed to heat and water, the enzyme shrugs off its polymer shroud and starts chomping the plastic polymer into its building blocks. Using an enzyme called proteinase, the researchers reduced PLA to lactic acid, which can feed the soil microbes in compost. According to the research team, the wrapping of the enzyme degrades under ultraviolet light.

The plastic wrapped with enzymes doesn't produce microplastics, and up to 98% of the plastic made using the new technique degrades into small molecules.

"People are now prepared to move into biodegradable polymers for single-use plastics, but if it turns out that it creates more problems than its worth, then the policy might revert back. We are basically saying that we are on the right track. We can solve this continuing problem of single-use plastics not being biodegradable," said Ting Xu, UC Berkeley researcher.

Plastics are designed not to break down during normal use, but that also means they don't break down after they're discarded, which is harmful for the environment. The most durable plastics have an almost crystal-like molecular structure, with polymer fibers aligned so tightly that water can't penetrate them, let alone microbes that might chew up the polymers.

The idea of Xu and her colleagues addresses this problem by adding microbes to plastic before using it. Her key innovation was a way to protect the enzyme from falling apart, which proteins typically do outside of their normal environment, such as a living cell. The wrappings they used are made of molecules called random heteropolymers, or RHPs, that gently hold the proteins together without restricting its natural flexibility.



Saudi Arabia Takes Part in 56th Cairo International Book Fair

File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.
File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.
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Saudi Arabia Takes Part in 56th Cairo International Book Fair

File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.
File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance is participating in the 56th Cairo International Book Fair, which runs from January 23 to February 5 and features 1,345 publishers from 80 countries.
The ministry's pavilion includes a dedicated section for the King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex, showcasing a wide range of Quran copies and translations in various languages.

According to SPA, it also highlights the stages of Quran printing, providing visitors with insight into the Kingdom's efforts to preserve and distribute the Holy Book, ensuring it reaches Muslims worldwide.
The pavilion offers thousands of Quran copies in various sizes as gifts to visitors, presents a variety of the ministry's applications and digital programs, and displays rare historical Islamic