Recently, innovators from Edinburgh, United Kingdom, have created a special water bottle that stays in the sea for only three weeks before it collapses.
This completely biodegradable water bottle is made of paper, and it also incorporates a plant-based material. Such products, if used in large quantities, will hopefully help the earth's oceans from plastic pollution.
James Langcroft, who created a paper water bottle, was only 27 years old. He said: This kind of water bottle does not use any fossil fuel in the production process. It can be digested by marine organisms and it can also neutralize landfills. Acidic soil.
Judging from the current global plastic production situation, by 2050, plastic production will exceed 500 million tons.
Under this general trend, Longcroft from Durham University plans to create a non-profit water bottle production company within two years.
He hopes to bring the benefits from this to charities in African countries, providing clean drinking water for the local people.
After taking into account the plastic bottle's environmental impact, Langcroft decided not to use any plastic in the product. He experimented for months in his kitchen and finally invented a special water bottle. It was made of paper. Into, the inner lining has a waterproof layer.
The special material in the lining provides a sealing effect for the bottle.
When the bottle is thrown into a landfill or thrown into the sea, it will gradually decompose from the outside to the inside.
According to reports, the outer layer of the bottle is recycled paper, the inner waterproof layer provides structural support, and keeps the water fresh, just like plastic.
The researchers were very excited about this bottle being made from natural and sustainable substances.
Whether a water bottle is thrown into the sea or a waste landfill, it starts degrading within hours and is completely decomposed after a few weeks.
Although in theory, this kind of bottle can be said to be disruptive in the industry, its cost is indeed higher than that of ordinary plastic bottles.
However, the founder was full of hope that he was raising funds to start commercial production.
'The biggest obstacle we face is breaking the saturated market and competing with traditional companies. Making the industry revolution is like a war, but with the public's support, we believe it will change people's perception of water bottles.'
At present, plastic water bottles are undoubtedly one of the most important sources of plastic waste in the ocean. Researchers have reported that: About 8 million tons of plastic flows into the ocean each year. This is equivalent to the input of one truck per minute.
Most plastic products are disposable products, but these materials will survive in the natural environment for several centuries.
The founder of the new water bottle stated: 'We really hope that these water bottles will be put on the shelves as soon as possible and they will be held by people as soon as possible. Even if this can only reduce the flow of a plastic bottle into the natural environment, we think it is worth it.'