We live in an interesting world. So many things that make our life simple and more interesting. New technologies fight against our boredom. If you want to test your luck join the National Casino in order to gain some adrenaline.
Every day something new is invented in order to manipulate our life or save our planet or destroy it. Humanity has created the poison that kills us slowly and our planet, but this poison is so useful in our normal life that we don’t even see it. We created plastic. You have heard so much information yet, that it is almost impossible to remove it and make the same things using another material.
Plastic Can Be Different
There are different types of plastic that we are using. Each has its molecular differences. As it has differences in its structure, it has differences in recycling. As an example, scientists in Sweden managed to recycle plastic from bottles and create a material that is more solid than asphalt and cover their roads with it. Amazing development.
Some plastic is hard to recycle. The main problem with green energy is in production. I mean not that we get energy from wind or sun. I mean in the example of wind turbines, the main problem is in the production and recycling of turbine blades. You basically need the temperature almost as high as the sun to recycle the blades. Of course, it brings an opposite effect on the environment.
Microplastic
Microplastic is one of the biggest environmental problems. You can find tons of it in the oceans. Billions and billions of creatures die because of it every year. Scientists were seeking a solution in order to prevent such disaster and created the tiny robotic fish. It can absorb plastic particles and self-repair if damaged.
It is very complicated to get rid of microplastic. As a result, it ends up in drinking water and food, harming not only nature but our organisms as well. Microplastic appears as a result of the decomposition of larger plastic items.
Robotic Fish
An innovative solution from researchers is a self-propelled robot fish that will remove these contaminants from water resources. You can read how it is working in Nano Letters magazines.
The length of the robot is only 13 mm. It can drift as plankton in the ocean and seas with the same speed. The material that the robot is made of is a clam shell. Such robot fish can carry up to 5 kg of plastic. The scientist improved the material so that the robot became more flexible and elastic. The robot-fish is capable of self-healing and keeps working even if it gets damaged.
This creature in the robotic world was created at Sichuan University by Yuyan Wang. In the near future, Wang’s team will be developing a more functionally sophisticated version that can operate at greater depths.
Replace the Plastic
The idea of replacing plastic is not new. The problem is the materials that will replace it. Phillip Demokritou’s lab is exploring the use of nanotechnology to get rid of microplastics. Their main idea is to replace plastic with other materials. His team has invented a special spray using natural ingredients so that they can use it to replace plastic food packaging.
It should also be noted that not all plastic can be recycled. As we mentioned before about huge fans, etc. Maybe in the near future, there will be a solution to recycle all types of plastic without harming our planet. You can dream about Mars, but the best solution in my opinion is to take care of our lovely green home Earth!