MICROPLASTICS APPEAR TO PROMOTE DEMENTIA
New research on the effects of microplastics on humans and other mammals shows significant behavioral changes.
30 June 2023
Producing plastic releases a lot of CO2 and, consequently, plastic contributes to climate change. How nice would it be if this process could be reversed, if CO2 could be turned into plastic? TNO announced this month a demonstration plant that can do exactly that by 2030. The plant will extract CO2 from waste gases, water and air, while using green electricity.
The technology TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) has announced and is working on is in essence not a solution to plastic soup. Plastic that ends up in the environment as waste continues to cause the same damage, whether it is made from CO2, or from fossil resources. Nonetheless, Plastic Soup Foundation is enthusiastic about this perspective, provided the world gets a few things right.
The international climate panel (IPCC) sees taking CO2 out of the air and storing it as a necessary means to keep warming below 1.5 degrees. Techniques to extract CO2 from the air, known collectively as Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACS), are in development and some are already being used. Swiss company Climeworks, for instance, extracts CO2 from the atmosphere which is converted into underground storage in the form of rock.
The big problem is that these techniques are still far too expensive. Who is going to pay for it and how? So, a market for plastic made from CO2 needs to be created.
Can application of DACS help solve two of the world’s biggest environmental problems? Plastic Soup Foundation thinks so. To put it simply, the following steps are needed:
So, what are we waiting for?
Photo: Climeworks’ DACS plant in Iceland.
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New research on the effects of microplastics on humans and other mammals shows significant behavioral changes.
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The government will investigate measures, including bans, to prevent certain plastic products from ending up as litter.