My Actifit Report Card: October 3 2025

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Scientists from RIKEN and the University of Tokyo in Japan have created a new type of supramolecular plastic that completely dissolves in seawater within a few hours. Unlike ordinary plastic, which can remain in the water for a long time and spread pollution, this plastic does not. As a result, this discovery could play a major role in reducing marine pollution in the future.
This plastic is made using a special type of “salt bridge” bond. It uses sodium hexametaphosphate (a common ingredient used in food) and a guanidinium-based monomer, which makes it easily soluble in salt water and can be easily broken down by natural bacteria. As a result, even if this plastic dissolves in seawater, no harmful microplastics are formed.

Research has shown that small pieces of this plastic dissolve completely in water within 1 hour, and large pieces of plastic dissolve completely in 8 to 8.5 hours.

The study also shows that this plastic also dissolves in soil, but slowly. It takes about 200 hours for a 5cm piece of plastic to break down in the soil. When this plastic breaks down in the soil, it releases nitrogen and phosphorus, which are used by microbes and plants. However, excess nutrients can disrupt the balance of the environment, so be careful.

Scientists say there are no plans to bring this new type of plastic to the market yet, but packaging companies have shown great interest in it.

Reference:
[1] RIKEN and University of Tokyo, "Development of seawater-soluble supramolecular plastic using salt-bridge bonds," Research report, 2025.
This report was published via Actifit app (Android | iOS). Check out the original version here on actifit.io

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