Researchers use cellulose to produce biodegradable microbeads

Microbeads are small plastic spheres with size smaller than 0.5 mm used in the industry to give a smooth texture to personal care and cleaning products - their use is fairly common in the production of cosmetics and sunscreens, for instance. Nevertheless, due to the very small size, their removal by conventional sewage filtration systems is compromised, and these materials end up in rivers and oceans, causing several environmental problems.

Aiming to find an alternative to this issue, a group from the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT) at University of Bath, in the USA, has created biodegradable beads from cellulose in a scalable and continuous manufacturing process.

For additional information, see: http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/2017/06/08/scientists-make-biodegradable-microbeads-from-cellulose/