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Alginate microbead to mitigate microplastic pollution
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Researchers developed alginate microbeads from brown algae as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic plastic microbeads in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, encapsulating tea tree essential oil using ionotropic gelation and finding that calcium chloride crosslinking without surfactant produced optimal gel strength and encapsulation efficiency while lifecycle analysis confirmed substantially lower environmental impact than conventional plastic microcapsules.
One way to mitigate microplastic pollution from pharmaceutical and cosmetic products is to develop nature-based ‘green’ microcapsules. This study involves in situ microencapsulation of therapeutic tea tree essential oil by brown algae-derived alginate biopolymer using classic external ionotropic gelation. The effects of type of divalent crosslinkers (calcium and barium ions), presence/absence of surfactant in oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion and molecular weight of alginate were investigated using gravimetry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), shear rheometry, ultraviolet (UV) and infrared spectroscopy. Microcapsules were ~ 1 mm in diameter. Barium chloride crosslinker showed highest gel strength (8396 ± 306 Pa) and large pores on surface (59.9 ± 9.1 µm). Presence of surfactant lowered the gel strength (182.6 ± 100.5 Pa) and had smaller pore size (20.3 ± 2.6 µm). Microcapsules with no surfactant, calcium chloride crosslinker and low viscosity alginate showed optimum gel strength (3620.8 ± 141.5 Pa) and smooth surface. An interplay exists between loading capacity (proportional to pore size) and encapsulation efficiency (compromised by surface oil and water-soluble oil components). Life cycle analysis (LCA) shows significant reduction in global warming and ecotoxicity. This project supports eight Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of United Nations and promotes blue economy.
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Sustainable alternatives to microplastics from degradable polymer microparticles
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Researchers demonstrated that biodegradable poly(beta-amino ester) microparticles can replace conventional microplastics in personal care products, showing effective skin exfoliation performance while degrading under physiological conditions, offering a scalable and environmentally safer alternative to synthetic plastic microbeads.
Evaluating alternatives to plastic microbeads in cosmetics
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Researchers used life cycle assessment to compare environmental impacts of potential alternatives to plastic microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics, finding that while some substitutes offer genuine benefits, others could introduce new environmental and human health risks that may offset the gains from microbead bans.
Mitigation Approaches to Prevent Microplastics Effects in the Aquatic Environment: Exploration of Microbeads from Personal Care and Cosmetic Products
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Plastic microbeads from personal care and cosmetic products pass through wastewater treatment largely intact, persist in the environment, and interact with other pollutants, while regulatory bans in some countries have not fully eliminated their occurrence in aquatic systems. Developing biodegradable polymer alternatives for cosmetic applications and improving coupled analytical detection systems are identified as key strategies for reducing this direct and preventable source of microplastic contamination.
Microplastics pollution and reduction strategies
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Microplastic particles smaller than 5mm—originating from cosmetic microbeads, synthetic fiber washing, and degraded plastic litter—accumulate in aquatic environments and enter human food chains through ingestion by marine fauna including fish, shellfish, and zooplankton. Effective mitigation requires combining source reduction strategies with emerging biodegradation and bioremediation technologies targeting common polymers like polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET.
Microplastic Pollution and Reduction Strategies
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Researchers reviewed global microplastic pollution pathways, ecosystem behavior, and human health impacts, arguing that scientific clarity on these issues is a prerequisite for setting effective regulatory restrictions and developing reduction strategies at the policy level.
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