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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High Quantities of Microplastic in Arctic Deep-Sea Sediments from the HAUSGARTEN Observatory.
Melanie Bergmann,Vanessa Wirzberger,Vanessa Wirzberger,Thomas Krumpen,Claudia Lorenz,Sebastian Primpke,Mine Banu Tekman,Gunnar Gerdts +7 more
TL;DR: The deep sea as a major sink for microplastics and the presence of accumulation areas in this remote part of the world, fed by plastics transported to the North via the Thermohaline Circulation are corroborated.
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Characterization and engineering of a plastic-degrading aromatic polyesterase
Harry P. Austin,Mark D. Allen,Bryon S. Donohoe,Nicholas A. Rorrer,Fiona L. Kearns,Rodrigo L. Silveira,Rodrigo L. Silveira,Benjamin C. Pollard,Graham Dominick,Ramona Duman,Kamel El Omari,Vitaliy Mykhaylyk,Armin Wagner,William E. Michener,Antonella Amore,Munir S. Skaf,Michael F. Crowley,Alan W. Thorne,Christopher W. Johnson,H. Lee Woodcock,John McGeehan,Gregg T. Beckham +21 more
TL;DR: 3D structure of a newly discovered enzyme that can digest highly crystalline PET, the primary material used in the manufacture of single-use plastic beverage bottles, in some clothing, and in carpets is characterized and it is shown that PETase degrades another semiaromatic polyester, polyethylene-2,5-furandicarboxylate (PEF), which is an emerging, bioderived PET replacement with improved barrier properties.
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The Chinese import ban and its impact on global plastic waste trade.
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Composites from renewable and sustainable resources: Challenges and innovations.
TL;DR: Studies on compatibility of recycled and waste materials with other components in composite structure for improved interface and better mechanical performance pose major scientific challenges, and hold the promise of advancing a key global sustainability goal.
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Ecology of the plastisphere.
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