June 2024 Composites Blog
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June 20, 2024
New Material Can Activate Biodegradable Feature in Clothing and Other Products
An innovative material discovered by San Diego University researchers could be used to give clothing a biodegradable feature that can be activated at the end of a product’s life. Thermoplastic Polyurethane is commonly used in several fabric-based products such as shoes, athletic wear, cushions, and pillows. However, a major issue with these types of products is that they are difficult to dispose of after they've reached the end of their usable life. Mainly, they are difficult to dispose of without harming the environment. This is why the discovery of this new biodegradable material is such a significant breakthrough. The novel material is made of a combination of thermoplastic polyurethane and bacterial spores. Making the material required the scientists to feed pellets of thermoplastic polyurethane and bacterial spores into a hot plastic extruder. However, the spores weren't just any regular spores, they were actually bioengineered spores that are highly resilient. The spores were put through the heat of the extruder several times to allow them to mutate and adapt. Researcher on the project Adam Feist mentioned that "It's amazing how well this process of bacterial evolution and selection worked for this purpose." What's most impressive about this new material is that it doesn't necessarily need to be processed through a compost facility to biodegrade. Learn more about this topic here.