Scientists develop eco-friendly microbeads

Scientists have developed an alternative to the environmentally damaging microbeads that are due to be banned later this year.

The current beads are made of plastic and are too small to be filtered out in the sewage systems so the material ends up on rivers and oceans where wildlife ingests it.

Microbeads measure less than 0.5mm and are typically used in products such as face wash and toothpaste.

The new biodegradable versions are made of cellulose and could be a used as a replacement to the current environmentally damaging variety.

It is estimated that a single shower can result in 100,000 plastic particles entering the ocean adding to the eight million tonnes of plastic that enters the ocean each year.

The Government plans to ban microbeads this year, following campaigning by environmental groups such as Greenpeace.

Engineers from the University of Bath's Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies have developed the alternative to plastic microbeads.

Dr Janet Scott, from the Department of Chemistry at the university, said: "Microbeads used in the cosmetics industry are often made of polyethylene or polypropylene, which are cheap and easy to make.

"However, these polymers are derived from oil and they take hundreds of years to break down in the environment.

"We've developed a way of making microbeads from cellulose, which is not only from a renewable source, but also biodegrades into harmless sugars.

Cellulose is the material that forms the tough fibres found in wood and plants.

The beads are made using a solution of cellulose, which is forced through tiny holes in a tubular membrane.

Scientists say these microbeads are robust enough to remain stable in a body wash, but can be broken down by organisms at the sewage treatment works, or in the environment over a short period of time.