BIODEGRADABLE CELLULOSE MICROBEADS ARE BEING DEVELOPED BY A START UP AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO PLASTIC ONES

Biodegradable cellulose microbeads are being developed by a start-up as an alternative to plastic ones, which were banned in many products in the UK last year over concerns about their environmental impact.
While they were banned from rinse-off products such as shower gels and toothpaste in the UK they can still be found in sun cream and cosmetics.

After they are washed down the drain they pass through sewage treatment plants unfiltered and make their way into rivers and canals resulting in water pollution.
Once in the wild, microbeads have been found to build up in the guts of animals and fish, which can be made especially dangerous as they have been shown to absorb concentrated pollutants like pesticides. This impact passes up the food chain and impacts humans’ food supplies.
An estimated 30,000 tonnes of microplastics from consumer products end up in the oceans every year - the equivalent of the plastic pollution generated by five billion plastic bottles.
Countries including France, Canada, Italy and India have all banned microbeads in some form over the last few years.
Start-up company Naturbeads, which is based at the University of Bath, is developing biodegradable microbeads made from cellulose and has been awarded more than £500,000 to build a prototype.
They are made using a solution of cellulose - which is forced through tiny holes in a tubular membrane - creating spherical droplets of the solution that are washed away from the membrane using vegetable oil.
The beads are then collected, set and separated from the oil before use. It is hoped they will reduce microplastic pollution and mean that traces from sun cream and cosmetics will not end up in fish fingers.

Naturbeads was founded in 2017 by Professors Janet Scott and Davide Mattia and Dr Giovanna Laudisio.
The company will receive £582,842 from the Plastic Research and Innovation Fund, which is being backed by the UK Research and Innovation and Sky Ocean Ventures.
Jamie Rowles, head of investment at Sky Ocean Ventures, said: “Despite some legislative bans, harmful plastic microbeads are still in a range of products and continue to leak into our environments.
“Finding equivalent replacements to these types of low-cost plastics has been a challenge for industry.
“By investing in Naturbeads, we are able to support a highly innovative technology and a passionate entrepreneurial team that is aiming to provide a biodegradable alternative that can perform like plastics and ensure the many products do not leave harmful residues in our environments for longer than nature intended.”
Prof Mattia added: “Our microbeads are produced using cellulose, the most abundant bio-material on Earth, and what plants and trees are made of.
“We are excited to see our technology deployed commercially and to contribute to reducing plastic pollution in our oceans.”
Last year, a study found that other forms of plastic waste were prone to disintegrate into nano-sized particles known as ‘nanoplastics