Introducing Biodegradable Substitute for Specific Microplastics

Going Green: The Advent of Biodegradable Microplastics in Beauty Products

Microplastics, tiny fragments of plastic polluting our planet, are omnipresent, stemming from tires, clothing, and packaging. One significant contributor to these microplastics is the tiny beads added to some cleansers, cosmetics, and other beauty products. To tackle this issue at its source, researchers at MIT have created a line of biodegradable materials that could replace the harmful plastic beads found in beauty products.

"Knocking out microplastics at their root is one way to combat the problem," says Ana Jaklenec, a principal investigator at MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. "But it's equally crucial to focus on creating materials that won't generate microplastics in the first place."

These innovative particles could find various uses. Recently, Jaklenec and her colleagues demonstrated their ability to encapsulate essential nutrients such as vitamin A. Fortifying food with encapsulated vitamins could aid the 2 billion people worldwide suffering from nutrient deficiencies.

In 2019, Jaklenec, along with Robert Langer, an MIT Institute Professor and member of the Koch Institute, introduced a polymer material capable of encapsulating essential nutrients. However, this polymer, known as BMC, is non-biodegradable. In response, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation asked the MIT team to design an eco-friendly alternative.

The researchers turned to a type of polymer developed by Langer's lab called poly(beta-amino esters). These polymers, which offer potential for gene delivery and other medical applications, are biodegradable, breaking down into natural sugars and amino acids. By modifying the material's building blocks, researchers can control properties such as hydrophobicity, mechanical strength, and pH sensitivity.

After developing five candidate materials, the MIT team discovered one with the ideal properties for microplastic applications. The researchers found that they could encapsulate vitamins A, D, E, C, zinc, and iron using these particles. These nutrients are vulnerable to heat and light degradation, but when encased within the particles, they proved resilient, withstanding boiling water for two hours.

Even after six months of storage at high temperature and humidity, more than half of the encapsulated vitamins remained undamaged.

To show their potential for enriching food sources, the researchers incorporated the particles into bouillon cubes, common in many African countries. The nutrients remained intact after being boiled for two hours.

"Bouillon is a staple ingredient in sub-Saharan Africa, and offers an exceptional opportunity to enhance the nutritional status of billions of people in those regions," Jaklenec notes.

In this study, the researchers tested the particles' safety by exposing them to human intestinal cells and found no negative effects at levels used for food fortification.

Exploring the particles' potential as cleanser replacements, the researchers combined them with soap foam and found that this mixture was more effective than soap alone at removing permanent marker and waterproof eyeliner from skin. The new microplastic was also more effective than a cleanser containing polyethylene microbeads and absorbed potentially harmful substances like heavy metals more efficiently.

"Our research demonstrates the potential for developing a new class of materials to build upon existing ones and apply them to various applications," says Linzixuan (Rhoda) Zhang, the paper's lead author and an MIT graduate student in chemical engineering.

With a grant from Estée Lauder, the researchers plan to further investigate the microplastics as a cleanser and explore other applications. They will run a small human trial later this year and are gathering safety data to apply for GRAS (generally regarded as safe) classification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The researchers hope their work can help reduce the amount of microplastic pollution stemming from beauty products.

"As a society, we're becoming more aware of the severity of the microplastics issue. This work represents a step toward addressing it," Jaklenec says. "While we're just scratching the surface, the development of biodegradable materials presents a significant stride in reducing the negative impacts of polymers on our environment."

The research was funded by the Gates Foundation and the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Innovations in Biodegradable Microplastics

Alternatives to Plastic Beads: Ongoing research focuses on the development of microplastic-free microcapsules using self-assembled materials, like aromatic bis-urea molecules, for sustainable encapsulation technology[2].
Biodegradable Materials: There is growing interest in utilizing biodegradable materials derived from natural sources, such as proteins, to replace synthetic plastics in various applications, potentially influencing the development of biodegradable alternatives for microplastics in beauty products[3].
Encapsulation Technology: Encapsulating nutrients has been explored beyond beauty products, including applications in sustainable agriculture and food packaging. Biodegradable coatings for nutrient encapsulation show enormous potential[4].
Reducing Environmental Impact: The development of biodegradable alternatives to microplastics can significantly reduce environmental pollution. Protein-based bioplastics, for instance, are both eco-friendly and suitable for diverse applications, offering a superior, safer alternative to synthetic materials[5].
Health and Wellness Benefits: The encapsulation of essential nutrients using biodegradable microplastics could lead to an improvement in health-and-wellness, especially for the 2 billion people globally suffering from nutrient deficiencies.
Fitness and Exercise: The potential use of these biodegradable microplastics in sports supplements might provide a sustained release of nutrients, contributing to fitness-and-exercise performance.
Climate Change Mitigation: The reduction of synthetic microplastic pollution in the environment could contribute to mitigating climate change, as these plastics deteriorate and release greenhouse gases during degradation.
Regulatory Approval: To progress in the market, the development of these biodegradable microplastics for beauty products and other applications requires regulatory approval, such as GRAS (generally regarded as safe) classification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Funding and Collaboration: Collaborative research efforts, such as those funded by organizations like the Gates Foundation, can provide essential support and resources towards the development and implementation of eco-friendly biodegradable alternatives to microplastics in various industries.