Biodegradable Plastic in Ocean Water

A sustainable Blueview shoe is shown biodegrading in seawater after being submerged for 12 weeks. Credit: Daniel Zhen, Algenesis Inc.

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Even a small uninhabited island in the Maldives is marked with human pollution. The flip-flops on this Indian Ocean beach likely came from India or China, more than 1,000 miles away. Credit: Stephen Mayfield

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Daniel Zhen (BS Marine Biology 2020) of Algenesis collects shoe samples off the Scripps Pier. Credit: Ryan Simkovsky

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Marissa Tessman (BS Chemistry 2014, MS Chemistry 2016) and Daniel Zhen (BS Marine Biology 2020) of Algenesis analyze a biodegraded Blueview shoe. Credit: Ryan Simkovsky

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A sustainable Blueview shoe biodegrades in ocean water after 11 weeks. Credit: Daniel Zhen, Algenesis Inc.

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Researchers studied polyurethane foams submerged at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Pier. Credit: Samantha Clements, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego

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