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Evolution, Prospects, and Predicaments of Polymers in Marine Applications: A Potential Successor to Traditional Materials
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This review examines the growing use of polymer materials in marine applications such as boat hulls, offshore structures, and underwater equipment, where their light weight and corrosion resistance offer advantages over traditional metals. Researchers also discuss the environmental downsides, including the potential release of microplastics and chemicals as these materials degrade in seawater. The study calls for developing more sustainable polymer formulations that balance performance with reduced environmental impact.
Polymers are ideal solutions for architects and constructors in the marine field who require materials that can achieve light and stable structures owing to their unique advantages. For instance, they possess a high strength-to-weight ratio, high wear resistance and fatigue strength, resistance to corrosion, ease of fabrication, and superior vibration damping behavior. These properties make polymers well suited for marine-based applications. However, polymers have their disadvantages, such as contributing to plastic pollution, which has a detrimental impact on the environment. In recent times, various concurrent methods have been employed to advance the future of polymers. This review explores (i) an overall view of polymers used in marine industries, (ii) a focus on reducing plastic wastage, (iii) challenges involved in recycling polymers and ensuring their sustainability, and (iv) the development of renewable plastics.
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Composite engineering structures in seawater − Review of durability and environmental performance
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This review assesses the long-term durability and environmental performance of fiber-reinforced composite structures used in seawater for shoreline protection. Researchers found that while composites offer advantages over steel and concrete for coastal infrastructure, they can release microplastics and other pollutants as they degrade over time. The study emphasizes the need for better understanding of how these materials age in marine environments to avoid trading one environmental problem for another.
Seawater‐Degradable Polymers—Fighting the Marine Plastic Pollution
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This review explores the development of polymers specifically designed to degrade in seawater as a strategy to combat marine plastic pollution. Researchers highlight several promising materials that break down in ocean conditions, though they note these are best suited for applications where plastic loss to the sea is unavoidable rather than as a replacement for proper waste management.
The Development of Marine Polymers in Food Packaging Applications
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Researchers reviewed the development of marine-derived polymers — including algal, crustacean, and microbial biopolymers — as sustainable food packaging alternatives, evaluating their potential to replace conventional petroleum-based plastics that fragment into persistent ocean microplastics.
Polymers and Microplastics: Implications on Our Environment and Sustainability
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This review discusses the environmental implications of polymers and microplastics, covering their properties, production trends, degradation pathways, and ecological impacts. It highlights the tension between the industrial utility of plastics and their growing threat to environmental and human health.
Seawater‐Degradable Polymers: Seawater‐Degradable Polymers—Fighting the Marine Plastic Pollution (Adv. Sci. 1/2021)
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This review examines polymers designed to degrade in seawater as a potential strategy to combat marine plastic pollution, covering material properties, degradation mechanisms, and the environmental context of marine microplastic impacts. Even seawater-degradable polymers require careful evaluation since the consequences of marine plastic pollution are still not fully understood.
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