{"id":7118,"date":"2024-10-22T10:20:43","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T07:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=7118"},"modified":"2025-06-12T12:35:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:35:53","slug":"smart-plastic-that-self-destructs-in-the-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/smart-plastic-that-self-destructs-in-the-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Revolutionary Smart Plastic That Self-Destructs in the Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A groundbreaking solution to the global issue of plastic pollution has emerged from the University of Edinburgh. E.V.A. Biosystems, a university startup, has developed a pioneering plastic that promises to help solve one of the world\u2019s most pressing environmental challenges, by breaking itself down when entering water, without producing harmful microplastics.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/smart-plastic-that-self-destructs-in-the-sea\/#Tackling_Pollution_with_Smart_Plastic\" >Tackling Pollution with Smart Plastic<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/smart-plastic-that-self-destructs-in-the-sea\/#An_Award-Winning_Innovation\" >An Award-Winning Innovation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/smart-plastic-that-self-destructs-in-the-sea\/#A_Game-Changing_Approach_to_Plastic_Waste\" >A Game-Changing Approach to Plastic Waste<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/smart-plastic-that-self-destructs-in-the-sea\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tackling_Pollution_with_Smart_Plastic\"><\/span><strong>Tackling Pollution with Smart Plastic<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Plastic pollution<\/strong> has become a global crisis, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plasticsoupfoundation.org\/en\/plastic-problem\/plastic-pollution-facts\/plastic-facts-Figures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">over 400 million tons of plastic produced annually<\/a>, much of which ends up in the ocean. Despite growing efforts to develop <strong>biodegradable plastics<\/strong>, the cost remains high, and such materials currently make up only about <strong>1 %<\/strong> of global plastic production.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/evabiosystems.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">E.V.A. Biosystems<\/a> explained that its technology addresses this issue by adding <strong>special bacteria<\/strong> to conventional plastics. These bacteria can detect when the plastic enters environments like seawater, where they activate <strong>enzymes<\/strong> that break down the material. This prevents the plastic from braking down to microplastics, which has been a significant drawback of traditional plastic degradation methods.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"An_Award-Winning_Innovation\"><\/span><strong>An Award-Winning Innovation <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">With its invention, E.V.A. Biosystems managed to make headlines by securing the <strong>top prize in the Net Zero category<\/strong> at this year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.convergechallenge.com\/special-awards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Converge Awards<\/a>, an annual event celebrating Scottish academic innovation. The category, recognized the company\u2019s cutting-edge work to <strong>reduce plastic waste<\/strong>, awarding the startup with a \u00a330,000 cash prize and<br \/>\n\u00a3 19,500 worth of in-kind business support.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The company&#8217;s innovation, which contributes to solving real-world problems through innovation in <strong>biotechnology<\/strong>, also earned it the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibioic.com\/news-database\/10-years-of-scottish-knowledge-exchange-awards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">IBioIC Award<\/a>, which recognizes excellence in <strong>biotech.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7119 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/vecteezy_closeup-of-a-fish-surrounded-by-plastic-debris-in-the-ocean_49727136-1024x574.jpg\" alt=\"Closeup of a fish surrounded by plastic debris in the ocean, a reminder of how plastic pollution affects all forms of marine life - Smart Plastic\" width=\"1024\" height=\"574\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Game-Changing_Approach_to_Plastic_Waste\"><\/span><strong>A Game-Changing Approach to Plastic Waste<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Unlike <strong>chemical degradation<\/strong>, which often results in the formation of microplastics that stay in the environment and harm marine life, E.V.A. Biosystems\u2019 approach offers a cleaner solution by utilizing biological processes. Specifically, the plastic <strong>breaks down safely<\/strong> without leaving behind any hazardous residues. This innovation could <strong>revolutionize<\/strong> the way the world deals with plastic waste and potentially contribute to the shift towards a more sustainable future.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">E.V.A. Biosystems\u2019 development represents a major step in tackling the plastic pollution crisis the word currently faces. With significant awards and recognition already under its belt, this University startup is poised to make a substantial impact on both the environment and the plastic industry<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A groundbreaking solution to the global issue of plastic pollution has emerged from the University of Edinburgh. E.V.A. Biosystems, a university startup, has developed a pioneering plastic that promises to help solve one of the world\u2019s most pressing environmental challenges, by breaking itself down when entering water, without producing harmful microplastics. &nbsp; Tackling Pollution with&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":7119,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-new-tech-en","category-28","category-542","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7118"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7124,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7118\/revisions\/7124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}