Neofossils: Can plastics capture CO2?

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The news is full of the evils of plastic. But plastic can’t be evil, it’s inanimate. It’s plastic abuse that is morally wrong.

The news is full of the evils of plastic. But plastic can’t be evil, it’s inanimate. It’s plastic abuse that is morally wrong. In the 100 years since the macromolecular hypothesis we have produced more than 8 billion tons of the stuff vilified as “plastic”. The very properties of plastics that make them so useful – they are durable and cheap – also means that they are almost worthless post-use, expensive to recycle and easy to discard. But what if singe use plastic could be of benefit to the environment? What if we made plastic that takes carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere – using carbon fixed by photosynthesis this year, not millennia ago?Join former CHRISTMAS LECTURES speaker Tony Ryan as he explains how systems-based, multidisciplinary approaches can solve the problem of plastics in the environment through a combination of reuse, repurposing &amp; recycling with curated burial at end of life. In fact, if we converted all the current 300 million tonnes of annual plastic production to non-degradable bioplastics we would be able to remove 1 billion tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere every year.Speaker information: Professor Tony Ryan OBE is The Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Sheffield and the founding Director of the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures. Tony focuses on the global challenge of the food, water, and energy nexus; feeding a growing world population; reducing the impacts of agriculture and food production that account for 30% of green house gas emissions and 70% of water use; and harnessing the power of the sun for food production and renewable energy.The Grantham Centre's projects cover many of the aspects of the UN's Sustainability Development Goals, and many of the national priorities of the developing world. Tony leads the University of Sheffield's programme in sustainability research, integrating across traditional boundaries in the pure and applied sciences, engineering, medicine, and social sciences.Tony is very active in translational research, disseminating evidence-based science to both experts and non-experts, and has been a regular contributor to TV, Radio, National Press and at learned societies from The Royal Society of Chemistry to Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs. He presented evidence at the UNFCCC COP21 in Paris in 2015 and returned to COP22 in Marrakech in 2016. Tony delivered the televised Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 2002 and was awarded an OBE in 2006 for 'Services to Science'.By booking to attend events at the Royal Institution, you confirm that you have read and accept the Ri's <a href="https://www.rigb.org/terms-and-conditions" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">event terms and conditions</a>. You also agree to abide by our <a href="https://www.rigb.org/about-us/how-were-run/our-code-conduct-ri-visitors" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">code of conduct</a>, and help to create a great experience for yourself and your fellow participants.Event image by Nick Fewings via Unsplash

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Neofossils: Can plastics capture CO2?

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Neofossils: Can plastics capture CO2?

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