There classic plastic bag which we use daily has been among us since 1965, the year in which a group of Swedish engineers and designers designed a practical solution for packaging. Today, after more than half a century, it is estimated that approximately every year are used 4 trillion of plastic bags in the world. The problem? These bags are not biodegradable and accumulate at impressive rhythms, polluting the environment for centuries. However, a discovery born almost by chance in Chile It could soon change this scenario.
Roberto Astate And Cristian Olivarestwo Chilean researchers were not looking for a solution against plastic pollution. Initially they worked up formulas for biodegradable detergentsbut during the experiments they discovered an innovative combination: replacing oil derivatives with a limestone derivativethey managed to change the structure of plastic making it soluble in water.
The result was the Solubaga bag that behaves exactly like a normal plastic bag, but with two fundamental differences: it is not made of plastic And It melts into the water without releasing toxic substances. During a public demonstration, Astate immersed a solubag in a jar of water, stirred it until it is completely dissolved and then drank part of the liquid, proof of the total safety of the material.
In August, the Chile has become the first country of South America to completely prohibit the use of plastic bags. A choice that aligns it with nations such as Rwanda and Jamaicaalready engaged against the environmental crisis caused by plastic.
The solubag represents a epochal turningbecause it can be used not only for bags, but also for A wide range of products now made of plastic. And while a traditional envelope uses beyond 150 years to degradethe solubag dissolves in a few minutes simply immersed in the water.
In addition, there are two variants of the product: one version Standards that melts in cold water and a version reusable, lined in fabric, which dissolves only in hot water. And in case of rain? No problem: the formulation can be adjusted to react only at high temperatures, so as to avoid accidental dissolution.
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Concrete help against marine pollution from microplastics
The impact of plastic on marine ecosystems is devastating. The waves and bacteria contribute to crushing plastic materials in microplasticssmall particles that are ingested by fish and marine organisms, Entering the food chain global. To worsen the situation, many plastics contain chemical additives to make them resistant to UV rays, microbial agents or fire, substances that end up for further pollute the environment.
According to the United Nations program for the environmentevery square kilometer of ocean could contain beyond 60,000 microplastic particles. And in some areas of the world, this figure is even higher. THE’Earth Day Network estimates that 32% of over 78 million tons plastic packages produced every year ends up at sea. Solutions such as the one proposed by Solubag can therefore have a decisive impact in the fight against ocean pollutionoffering an alternative biodegradable, safe and innovative.
