Researchers developed biodegradable materials that could replace the plastic micro-beads now used in beauty products. The materials could also be used to encapsulate nutrients for food fortification.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Javier G. Fernández (left) and Akshayakumar Kompa (right) holding a sample of the material at the IBEC laboratories. (CREDIT: ...

Healthcare is awash in single-use plastics. In U.S. healthcare facilities alone, more than 2,800 tons of plastic packaging and products are thrown out every day. Few people are more aware of this than ...

Scientists at Rice University and University of Houston have developed an innovative, scalable approach to engineer bacterial cellulose into high-strength, multifunctional materials. Using a spinning ...

Old trees are learning new tricks with the advent of composite materials. A "green composite" made from biodegradable polymers and the waste bark of the Yakushima Jisugi tree was developed by a ...

Pollution affects human health and the environment in many ways. Air, water, and land pollution continue to damage ecosystems, with conventional materials—especially plastics—being a primary ...

Fossil fuel-based plastics take hundreds, if not thousands of years to biodegrade, leading to an urgent demand for biodegradable plastic alternatives. Plastics may be a villain in Earth's very own TV ...

Bags made from biodegradable materials for collecting organic household waste have been available on the market for several years. Now researchers in a large-scale pilot study have conducted an ...

Seeking solutions to counteract a rapid rise in plastic trash, scientists have developed biodegradable material that is designed to replace conventionally used plastic. An interdisciplinary team of ...

Researchers in China have developed a new type of glass they claim is both biodegradable and biorecyclable, meaning it can break down and be reused in nature—the latest eco-friendly alternative to ...

That trait, which makes a coffee lid or a fishing float so useful, also turns plastic into a long-term guest in places it was never invited. Unrecovered fragments collect across ecosystems, and they ...