Global Plastic Conundrum: A Contained Solution

Two Singapore scientists may have found a solution to our plastic waste problem.

- Andrei Veksha and Grzegorz Lisak

THE EVOLUTION OF PLASTIC revolutionised the modern world, making space travel possible, lightening cars and helmets, and creating machinery for clean drinking water. However, there is a dark side to these advancements: Namely disposable plastics, also known as single-use plastics, which are an ever-growing global concern.

Single-use plastics, such as plastic bags, food wrappers, and plastic bottles, contribute significantly to the global plastic consumption crisis and may continue to do so for a hundred more years. Less developed countries have had to bear the brunt of the global crisis with underdeveloped recycling facilities coupled with inefficient garbage disposal systems.

Rapid plastic development follows an increasing carbon footprint. The sources of carbon footprint in the case of plastics are the fossil fuels used for production, energy-intensive processes during manufacturing, and carbon emissions during incineration of plastic waste. About over a century ago, fossil fuels were the only source to manufacture plastics. Currently, there are concurrent options to derive plastic from natural gas, oils, or even plants. A concerning rise in the emission of greenhouse gases due to the production of plastic has caused a huge ripple effect.

While the alarming levels of plastic pollution are a worldwide plight, the world has responded to the crisis with groundbreaking technology and global community campaigns. In the same vein, the scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) decided to explore the thermal decomposition of plastic as an environmentally-friendly solution to find the global plastic crisis.