Scientists are still finding new uses for silk despite the fact that millennia have passed since humans discovered it. Microplastics, the tiny plastic fragments that have been found everywhere from mountaintops to the seafloor, are a growing environmental and health concern.
Microplastics form when larger items are no longer useful. A report from the European Chemicals Agency states that a small amount of the pollution is deliberately added to products. Microcapsules that protect and release active ingredients are included.
For a study published in Small, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and chemical corporation were able to develop a silk-based alternative. This type of research is important for companies that face tighter regulations.
The only place we are able to really control microplastic pollution is by finding substitute materials for intentionally added microplastics.
Benedetto Marelli is an M.I.T. engineer and study co-author. With natural compounds, you cannot check all the boxes at the same time, like we were able to with silk.
The research team at M.I.T. used existing manufacturing equipment to make the microcapsules, which contained a common skin-care ingredient and an herbicide.
Marelli says that silk-based microcapsules must perform at the same level, if not better, than nonbiodegradable counterparts. It is possible to kill weeds without hurting food crops. Silk-based microcapsule spray was less damaging to corn plants than an existing product.
Replacing nonbiodegradable microcapsules with silk might not work in every case, but it already looks promising compared with other alternatives. Products using silk-based microcapsules could be on the market in a few years.
The researchers will try to keep the active ingredients in liquid or gas form.
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