An international team of researchers has developed a type of plastic that can break down in seawater in a bid to decrease environmental pollution and the accumulation of plastics in oceans, it said in Friday's edition of the U.S. academic journal Science.

The material called "supramolecular" plastic has similar tensile strength and can also be processed like petroleum-based plastics, according to the research team including members from the national science research institute Riken and the University of Tokyo.

The new plastic is made of monomers used in food additives and those created in organic materials. Mixing the agents in water results in a separation into two distinct layers, one of which can be dehydrated to yield the environment-friendly substance, according to Takuzo Aida, a group director of the institute's Center for Emergent Matter Science.

Salt water causes the material to quickly dissociate into the former monomers and further disintegrate due to bacteria within the ocean or soil.

The material, which is also recyclable and nonflammable, is expected to be utilized in parts for precision machinery and architectural adhesives, with further applications possible if it is made water-repellent, the research team said.

Much of the plastic used for packaging and other purposes is believed to be accumulating in the world's oceans, as it does not disintegrate naturally after being thrown away as trash.