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Biodegradable Paints for Daytime Radiative Cooling
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Scientists created a new paint that keeps buildings cooler in the sun, without shedding harmful microplastics like most cooling paints do today. It fully breaks down in compost within three months, cuts energy use for air conditioning, and could mean less plastic pollution entering our air, water, and bodies.
Abstract Radiative cooling technologies help alleviate global warming and the urban heat island effect by reducing the energy load of conventional air conditioning. However, most radiative cooling materials contain nonbiodegradable components that decompose into microplastics and threaten the environment. To address this issue, this work develops a biodegradable radiative cooling paint, experimentally demonstrated to maintain an average surface temperature of 2–3 °C below ambient temperature and around 5 °C below commercial white paint under high solar irradiation (>800 W m–2). Fabricated samples showed a high solar reflectance of 96.6% and sky window emissivity of 0.938. The binder demonstrated complete biodegradation within 3 months in a compost environment. TRNSYS simulation shows high energy savings across the US, with over 400 kWh of electricity saved in hot and dry climates such as Phoenix, AZ. With high UV resistance, mechanical durability, and self-cleaning capabilities, the biodegradable radiative cooling paint is suitable for large-scale deployment.
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Paint - A key source of microplastics to the environment: Fate, effects, and mitigation strategies
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Paint chips and coatings are a major, often overlooked source of tiny plastic particles (microplastics) that wash into our air, water, and soil as they weather and break down over time. This matters because these particles can end up in the food and water we consume, and scientists are still working to understand the health effects of ongoing microplastic exposure. This paper reviews existing research on how paint pollution happens and explores ways to reduce it, such as better product design and disposal practices.
Alleviating Heat Stress and Water Scarcity in Cultivation with Biodegradable Radiative Cooling Mulch
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Researchers developed a biodegradable ethyl-cellulose mulch film that uses radiative cooling to reduce soil temperatures and cut moisture evaporation by 60% in field tests. Unlike conventional plastic mulches — which persist in soil and fragment into microplastics — this material is fully biodegradable and eliminates the microplastic contamination that traditional agricultural films leave behind. The study shows that sustainable cooling mulches could solve both the heat-water stress crisis in agriculture and the growing problem of microplastic soil pollution.
Breaking down building plastics: Exploring UV-induced degradation pathway and its impact on structural integrity and microplastics formation
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Sun exposure doesn't just fade and weaken common plastics used in buildings (like those in windows, roofing, and pipes), it actually breaks them apart into tiny microplastic fragments over time. This matters because these fragments can end up in our air, water, and soil, adding to the growing amount of microplastics we're exposed to daily. Understanding exactly how this breakdown happens could help manufacturers design more durable, longer-lasting materials that shed fewer plastic particles into our environment.
The potential release of microplastics from paint fragments: Characterizing sources, occurrence and ecological impacts
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This review examines paint fragments as a significant but often overlooked source of microplastic pollution, coming from deteriorating building coatings, road markings, and ship hulls. Beyond the plastic particles themselves, paint fragments can release toxic biocides and heavy metals that harm aquatic and terrestrial organisms. The findings highlight paint as a source of microplastics that people may encounter through water, air, and food, but which receives far less attention than packaging or textile sources.
Integration of Advanced Biodegradable Polymer Coatings with Solar-Powered Textile Waste Treatment for Reducing Microplastic Pollution in Urban Runoff Systems
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Researchers developed a prototype integrating biodegradable polymer coatings (PLA and PHA) with a solar-powered treatment unit to filter microplastics from textile-contaminated urban runoff. The system demonstrated effective filtration while producing minimal secondary pollution, offering an off-grid, low-energy solution for removing textile-derived MPs from stormwater before they reach aquatic ecosystems.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.