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00:00Could this bit of plastic be the answer to a modern-day plague that's choking oceans and harming wildlife?
00:07Its Japanese developers say it's as strong as conventional petroleum-based plastics, but can dissolve in seawater within hours.
00:16This new supramolecular plastic was co-developed by the University of Tokyo and the Rikan Center for Emergent Matter Science.
00:23The center's group director and lead researcher, Takuzo Aida, explains that it's made by combining two ionic monomers to form a salt bond, which keeps it strong and flexible.
00:34But the trick is, this plastic material is highly sensitive to salt.
00:42When it comes into contact with salt, it will break down into its original raw materials.
00:47Then, these raw materials themselves can be decomposed by bacteria, meaning that they ultimately return to the environment as safe substances.
00:56Aida says tests in salt solutions similar to seawater saw the plastic dissolve in about two to three hours, depending on size and thickness.
01:05It works in soil, too, if a little slower.
01:08Aida says tests showed a small piece of the plastic decomposed after about 200 hours.
01:14Studies have found many existing biodegradable plastics don't break down fully.
01:19That leaves behind the microplastics that are found everywhere these days.
01:24Microplastics are fragments less than one-fifth of an inch in size.
01:28In 2020, an estimated 2.7 million tons of it seeped into the environment, the UN Environment Programme said.
01:35Researchers have even found microplastics in the human brain, arteries and other organs.
01:40Currently, less than 9% of global plastic waste is successfully recycled.
01:47And plastic pollution is set to triple by 2040, according to the UN.
01:52That means adding up to 37 million metric tons of plastic waste to the world's oceans each year.
01:59The new material is still in its development phase, but Aida hopes their fully degradable plastic will prove useful for the packaging industry and become a safe, sustainable substitute.
02:09The amount of plastic being produced is increasing every year, he says.
02:17So if we can help stop that growth and even begin to reduce it, that would be the most meaningful contribution we could make.
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