Cigarette filters are the world’s most common form of litter. Researchers from the University of Gothenburg can now show that the filters leak thousands of toxins and plastic fibres that are toxic to aquatic larvae. The researchers are therefore calling for these filters to be completely banned.

With the partnership, both the companies aim to optimize the production of bacterial cellulose and produce bio-based materials which act as the perfect green substitute for synthetic polymers used in the market today such as acrylates, polyethylene, and polystyrene.

The bacterium Rhodococcus ruber eats and actually digests plastic. This has been shown in laboratory experiments by PhD student Maaike Goudriaan at Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (Nioz). Based on a model study with plastic in artificial seawater in the lab, the scientists calculated that bacteria can break down about one percent of the fed plastic per year into CO2 and other harmless substances.

Researchers Kelvin Sze-Yin Leung along with his colleagues analyzed how certain compounds found in sunscreens could interact with microplastics and other pollutants, thus making them more harmful.

Microplastic pollution is a major issue not only on land, but also in the sea and in freshwater bodies. Japanese researchers have develop a new method to determine the number of samples required for accurate assessment of microplastic contamination in urban rivers.

Numerous plastics are principally biodegradable, but are only degraded very slowly in the open air, wastewater, or composting plants. Known enzymes with the ability to degrade plastics could solve this problem. To do so, however, they must be able to withstand high temperatures.

Of the many contemporary conveniences often taken for granted in developed countries, modern sanitation may be among the most important. A new study suggests that wastewater infrastructure may provide societal benefits far beyond the dramatic improvements in community hygiene. The research highlights a technique known as Wastewater-based Epidemiology.

The idea of biodegradable plastics sounds good at first. However, very little is known about how they are degraded in the soil and how this is influenced by climate change. In two recent studies, soil ecologists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) have shown which microbial community is responsible for degradation, what role the climate plays in this process, and why biodegradable plastics could still be problematic.

Plastic in the environment will inevitably break down into ever smaller fragments, i.e. into micro- and nanoplastic. A German research team now examined how long it takes for polystyrene to break down under natural influences. The results surprised even the scientists.

A study conducted by the UAB certifies that despite the presence of microplastics in deep-sea shrimp, the amounts detected do not cause any types of health problems. The research coincides with other studies pointing to the fact that there is no danger for human consumption, either.