Researchers at The Ohio State University have just made a breakthrough that could greatly reduce microplastic pollution. According to Interesting Engineering, the researchers have developed a way to make PVC (polyvinyl chloride), one of the most used plastics on the planet, more durable and stable and less likely to shed microplastics.
Whether you're aware of it or not, you more than likely come in contact with PVC every single day. It's used in window frames, doors, garden hoses, clothing, footwear, irrigation pipes, and a whole host of other things. Unfortunately, those other things include packaging for food, water, and fruit juices. So when the PVC begins to break down, microplastics are released into the environment and into our bodies.
It's estimated that the average person likely ingests between 78,000 and 211,000 microplastic particles every year.
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While it's not widely reported, microplastic pollution has become a big problem. It's found its way into our waterways, and study after study after study has shown the multiple ways it has found its way into our bodies as well.
Pure PVC is brittle and can break down, and the chemicals, also known as plasticizers, used to stabilize it only last so long before the material begins to deteriorate and release microscopic particles.
The team of researchers at Ohio State, led by Christo Sevov, associate professor in chemistry and biochemistry, discovered that the chemicals used to prevent deterioration can be permanently affixed to the PVC using electricity.
"Instead of mixing in those chemicals," Sevov told Ohio State News, "our method involves chemically bonding the plasticizer compound directly to PVC by grafting them onto the backbone of the polymer."
The method developed by Sevov and his team could improve the lifetime and reusability of some plastics, potentially giving manufacturers the ability to produce plastics that are safer for consumers. And although this may be a step in the right direction, there's still progress to be made.
"There's no better way to do this on the scale you would need for commercial PVC modification because it is an immense process," Sevov said. "There's still a lot to play around with before we solve the microplastic situation, though now we've laid the groundwork for how to do it."
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