Microplastics are seen today as the main problem with plastics. They are tiny pieces of plastic, which are being found on land, in the sea, and now even in the air we breathe. Conditions in the environment cause the degradation of conventional plastic articles leading to embrittlement and fragmentation in as little as 4-8 weeks particularly when exposed to sunlight, on land or when floating on the ocean
The problem is that although these plastics are fragmenting, their molecular-weight remains too high for biodegradation, so they persist in the environment, getting smaller and smaller – resulting in persistent particulate litter which takes many decades to degrade enough to permit biodegradation.1,8 Also, fragmented conventional polymers are more likely to be occluded from sunlight by burial in topsoil or to be susceptible to biofouling over time, resulting in a reduced rate of degradation.
Symphony Environmental Technologies plc (LON:SYM) is a world leader in the development of additives to make ordinary plastic biodegradable and protective technologies to enhance plastic products.
