CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Scientists at Berkeley Lab have found a solution to the non-recyclable plastic problem. A team led by Brett Helmes has been doing research on a new type of plastic that can be recycled endless amount of times and still remain in perfect form.

Detailed explanation-2: -The proportion of plastics that are recycled is minimal. The UK, for example, uses five million tons of plastic each year, and only 370,000 tons are recycled each year: that’s just 7%. But all polymers are, technologically, 100% recyclable.

Detailed explanation-3: -2DPA-1 is a polymer, a category of substance that encompasses all kinds of plastics. But whereas all other polymers grow in one-dimensional chains, with new molecules being added onto their ends, 2DPA-1 grows in two dimensions, forming a sheet called a polyaramide.

Detailed explanation-4: -A new plastic made from DNA is renewable, requires little energy to make and is easy to recycle or break down. Traditional plastics are bad for the environment because they are made from non-renewable petrochemicals, require intense heating and toxic chemicals to make, and take hundreds of years to break down.