Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made
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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White and wonderful? Microplastics prevail in snow from the Alps to the Arctic.
Melanie Bergmann,Sophia Mützel,Sebastian Primpke,Mine Banu Tekman,Jürg Trachsel,Gunnar Gerdts +5 more
TL;DR: The authors detect microplastics in European and Arctic snow, highlighting the importance of atmospheric transport as a pathway for MPs and highlighting that atmospheric transport and deposition can be notable pathways for MPs meriting more research.
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An engineered PET depolymerase to break down and recycle plastic bottles
Vincent Tournier,Christopher M. Topham,A. Gilles,B. David,C. Folgoas,Elisabeth Moya-Leclair,E. Kamionka,Marie-Laure Desrousseaux,Helene Texier,S. Gavalda,M. Cot,E. Guémard,M. Dalibey,J. Nomme,Gianluca Cioci,Sophie Barbe,Michel Chateau,Isabelle André,Sophie Duquesne,Alain Marty +19 more
TL;DR: Computer-aided engineering produces improvements to an enzyme that breaks down poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) into its constituent monomers, which are used to synthesize PET of near-petrochemical grade that can be further processed into bottles.
Journal ArticleDOI
The distribution of microplastics in soil aggregate fractions in southwestern China.
G.S. Zhang,Y.F. Liu +1 more
TL;DR: Investigation of abundance and distribution of plastic particles among soil aggregate fractions in four cropped areas and an established riparian forest buffer zone at Dian Lake, southwestern China shows that the abundance of aggregate-associated plastic fibers is significantly greater in the micro-aggregate than that in the macro-agg aggregate.
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Evaluating scenarios toward zero plastic pollution
Winnie W. Y. Lau,Yonathan Shiran,Richard M. Bailey,Ed Cook,Martin R. Stuchtey,Julia Koskella,Costas A. Velis,Linda K Godfrey,Julien Boucher,Margaret B. Murphy,Richard C. Thompson,Emilia Jankowska,Arturo Castillo Castillo,Toby D. Pilditch,Ben Dixon,Laura Koerselman,Edward Kosior,Enzo Favoino,Jutta Gutberlet,Sarah Baulch,Meera E. Atreya,David S. Fischer,Kevin K. He,Milan M. Petit,U. Rashid Sumaila,Emily Neil,M. Bernhofen,Keith Lawrence,James E. Palardy +28 more
TL;DR: To avoid a massive build-up of plastic in the environment, coordinated global action is urgently needed to reduce plastic consumption; increase rates of reuse, waste collection, and recycling; expand safe disposal systems; and accelerate innovation in the plastic value chain.
Journal ArticleDOI
MOF-Based Membranes for Gas Separations.
Qihui Qian,Patrick A. Asinger,Moon Joo Lee,Gang Han,Katherine Mizrahi Rodriguez,Sharon Lin,Francesco M. Benedetti,Albert X. Wu,Won Seok Chi,Zachary P. Smith +9 more
TL;DR: This comprehensive review discusses opportunities and challenges related to the formation of pure MOF films and mixed-matrix membranes and introduces a simple membrane performance score that has been tabulated for all of the literature data compiled in this review.
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