Microplastics, the tiny, tough-to-break-down fragments shedding off from everyday plastic products, are becoming an increasingly dire issue. As our understanding of microplastics deepens, the situation only seems to worsen. Records of microplastics are now found in the oceans and soils, and even in the least expected places like human arteries, lungs, and placentas. It could take anywhere from 100 to 1,000 years for microplastics to decompose. Meanwhile, our planet and bodies are daily polluted by these materials.

Microplastics might take 100 to 1000 years to decompose. There's still a lot we don't know about their impact on the environment and human health. Image source: UC San Diego

Seeking viable alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics and microplastics has never been as urgent as it is now. New research from the University of California, San Diego's research team indicates that their developed plant-based polymers can biodegrade within 7 months, even when ground into microplastics. This study was recently published in Nature - Scientific Reports.

One of the paper's authors, Professor Michael Burkart of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC, stated: "We're just scratching the surface in understanding microplastics, their environmental and health impacts. We're striving to find replacements for existing materials and ensure these alternatives can biodegrade at the end of their lifecycle rather than accumulate in the environment. This is no small feat."

Another author, Professor Robert Pomeroy of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC, said: "About 6 years ago, when we first created these algae-based polymers, our goal has always been to make it fully biodegradable. There's a lot of data showing our material vanishing in compost, but this is the first time we're measuring it at the microscale."

To test its biodegradability, the team ground their product into microparticles and used three different measurement tools for confirmation. The results indicate that the material is being digested by microbes when placed in compost.

Co-author Stephen Mayfield, director of the California Center for Algae Biotechnology, said: "This material is the first kind of plastic proven not to produce microplastics while in use, and it's a plastic that won't make us sick."

Burkart remarked: "When we began this work, everyone thought it was impossible. Now we've seen a new hope, and there's much more research to be done in the future."

Related paper information: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-56492-6