This New Plastic Disappears When You Don't Need It Anymore

[Warpy]

Our reliance on plastic has become a huge problem, which is why researchers are excited about a new type of material – one that comes with built-in biodegrading capabilities, due to the bacterial spores living inside it.

The new self-digesting plastic combines thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and Bacillus subtilis bacteria, which had to be engineered to survive the high temperatures involved in plastic production.

By repeatedly exposing the spores to increasing levels of heat, the team of researchers behind this new work found that the bacteria could eventually cope with the temperatures of 135 degrees Celsius (275 degrees Fahrenheit) required to mix the bacterial spores and TPU together.

https://www.sciencealert.com/this-new-plastic-disappears-when-you-dont-need-it-anymore

Note to marketing: call it biodegradable but don't mention the bacterial spores that will develop into bacteria and chow down on it. Nobody will buy anything that has their food coming into contact with GERMS.