Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made
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TLDR
By identifying and synthesizing dispersed data on production, use, and end-of-life management of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives, this work presents the first global analysis of all mass-produced plastics ever manufactured.Abstract:
Plastics have outgrown most man-made materials and have long been under environmental scrutiny. However, robust global information, particularly about their end-of-life fate, is lacking. By identifying and synthesizing dispersed data on production, use, and end-of-life management of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives, we present the first global analysis of all mass-produced plastics ever manufactured. We estimate that 8300 million metric tons (Mt) as of virgin plastics have been produced to date. As of 2015, approximately 6300 Mt of plastic waste had been generated, around 9% of which had been recycled, 12% was incinerated, and 79% was accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. If current production and waste management trends continue, roughly 12,000 Mt of plastic waste will be in landfills or in the natural environment by 2050.read more
Citations
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Environmental samples of microplastics induce significant toxic effects in fish larvae
Pauline Pannetier,Bénédicte Morin,Florane Le Bihanic,Laurence Dubreil,Christelle Clérandeau,Fannie Chouvellon,Kim Van Arkel,Morgane Danion,Jérôme Cachot +8 more
TL;DR: The results demonstrate ingestion and mainly sublethal effects of environmental MPs in early life stages of fish at realistic MP concentrations, and the ecological consequences microplastic build-up in aquatic ecosystems.
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Microwave-initiated catalytic deconstruction of plastic waste into hydrogen and high-value carbons
Xiangyu Jie,Weisong Li,Weisong Li,Weisong Li,Daniel Slocombe,Yige Gao,Ira Banerjee,Sergio L. González-Cortés,Benzhen Yao,Hamid Al-Megren,Saeed Alshihri,Jonathan R. Dilworth,John Meurig Thomas,Tiancun Xiao,Peter P. Edwards +14 more
TL;DR: In this article, the catalytic deconstruction of various plastic feedstocks into hydrogen and high-value carbons was performed using microwave susceptors and a high hydrogen yield of 55.6mmolg−1plastic was achieved.
Journal ArticleDOI
Comparison of Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy for the Quantification of Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment
TL;DR: The need for further research is demonstrated to enable time-efficient routine application of ASPEx-μ-Raman for reliable MP counting down to 1 μm by analyzing MPs extracted from North Sea surface waters by comparing Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
Journal ArticleDOI
A catchment-scale perspective of plastic pollution.
Fredric M. Windsor,Fredric M. Windsor,Isabelle Durance,Alice A. Horton,Richard C. Thompson,Charles R. Tyler,Steve J. Ormerod +6 more
TL;DR: The transport and effects of plastics across terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments are reviewed, focusing on hydrological catchments as well‐defined landscape units that provide an integrating scale at which plastic pollution can be investigated and managed.
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A roadmap towards green packaging: The current status and future outlook for polyesters in the packaging industry
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that renewable polyesters can provide a key milestone as renewable plastics in the route toward green packaging and describe different classes of polyesters with particular regard to their potential use as packaging materials.
References
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