Disposable plastic materials release microplastics and harmful substances in hot water

Liu, Guoqiang; Wang, Jian; Wang, Mengjie; Ying, Ruifeng; Li, Xuwei; Hu, Zhewei; Zhang, Ya

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151685

Cited by 68 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…It is also noticeable that the HQIs of tested particles can reach 0.85−0.89 compared to standard PP, and so these particles could be misassigned as PP MPs since they originated from a PP-based container. This high MP release level is comparable to previous reports on plastic containers (releasing over 1 million MPs per liter 26,47 or 1.2− 7.6 mg of MPs from a single container 48 ). However, most of these confirmed MPs dissolved away when the filter was placed onto a glass holder and rinsed using ethanol.…”

Section: Challenge Of Raman Spectroscopy To Distinguish Maps and Mpssupporting

confidence: 87%

“…There were over a million MPs per liter released in the present study and in previous reports. 26 , 47 , 48 However, after an ethanol rinse, the MP level dropped by 5 orders of magnitude in this study. Similarly, while large quantities of MP were reported to be released from plastic baby feeding bottles, 3 , 37 our reassessment based on the new alcohol protocol showed that the levels of MPs decreased from over 1 million per liter to around 100–100,000 per liter, which depends on multiple factors, such as the brand type and duration of use.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 57%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Alcohol Pretreatment to Eliminate the Interference of Micro Additive Particles in the Identification of Microplastics Using Raman Spectroscopy

Sheerin

Shi

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Raman spectroscopy is an indispensable tool in the analysis of microplastics smaller than 20 μm. However, due to its limitation, Raman spectroscopy may be incapable of effectively distinguishing microplastics from micro additive particles. To validate this hypothesis, we characterized and compared the Raman spectra of six typical slip additives with polyethylene and found that their hit quality index values (0.93–0.96) are much higher than the accepted threshold value (0.70) used to identify microplastics. To prevent this interference, a new protocol involving an alcohol treatment step was introduced to successfully eliminate additive particles and accurately identify microplastics. Tests using the new protocol showed that three typical plastic products (polyethylene pellets, polyethylene bottle caps, and polypropylene food containers) can simultaneously release microplastic-like additive particles and microplastics regardless of the plastic type, daily-use scenario, or service duration. Micro additive particles can also adsorb onto and modify the surfaces of microplastics in a manner that may potentially increase their health risks. This study not only reveals the hidden problem associated with the substantial interference of additive particles in microplastic detection but also provides a cost-effective method to eliminate this interference and a rigorous basis to quantify the risks associated with microplastic exposure.

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Section: Challenge Of Raman Spectroscopy To Distinguish Maps and Mpssupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 57%

Alcohol Pretreatment to Eliminate the Interference of Micro Additive Particles in the Identification of Microplastics Using Raman Spectroscopy

Sheerin

Shi

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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show abstract

“…With the development of the economy and the continuous growth of the global population, disposable products are widely used and promoted [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Disposable paper cups (DPCs) have many advantages, such as relative sanitation, low price, convenient use, and huge output, and they are extensively employed in many families, enterprises, and public places [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication and Characterization of Transparent and Uniform Cellulose/Polyethylene Composite Films from Used Disposable Paper Cups by the “One-Pot Method”

Wang

Zhou

et al. 2022

Polymers

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Disposable paper cups are usually composed of high-grade paper board and an inner polyethylene coatings and are extensively used in daily life. However, most disposable paper cups are only used for a short time and then incinerated or accumulated in landfill at the end of their service due to the difficulty in separating the components, leading to a serious threat to our ecosystem. Therefore, developing a facile and green method to recycle and reuse disposable paper cups is vital. By using ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AmimCl) as a solvent, transparent and homogenous cellulose/polyethylene composite films were successfully prepared from used bamboo-based disposable paper cups through the “one-pot method”, without any pre-treatment. It was found that there was a transformation of cellulose I to II after the dissolution and regeneration processes, and the crystallinity degree of the regenerated cellulose-based materials decreased significantly, resulting in a change in thermal properties. Meanwhile, compared to traditional pure cellulose films, the composite films possessed good UV-shielding properties and hydrophobicity. Moreover, they also displayed good mechanical properties. Additionally, the size of the ground PE coatings displayed obvious effects on the structures and properties of the composite films, where the CPE100 (sieved with 100–200 mesh) possessed the most homogeneous texture and the highest tensile strength (82 Mpa), higher than that of commercial polyethylene film (9–12 MPa), showing superiority as packaging or wrapping materials. Consequently, the goals to fabricate uniform cellulose/polyethylene composite films and valorize the solid waste from disposable paper cups were simultaneously achieved by a facile and green “one-pot method”.

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“…Besides, a significant correlation was observed between temperature and MPs number (R 2 = 0.889, p = 4.55E-9). High temperature (70–100 °C) might cause chain scission, surface cracking, and fragmentation of plastics ( Liu et al, 2022 ). The temperature of 40 °C could only strengthen the surface fluidity and swelling of plastic fiber ( De Falco et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insight into the microplastics release from disposable face mask: Simulated environment and removal strategy

Jiang

Zhang

et al. 2022

Chemosphere

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Disposable plastic materials release microplastics and harmful substances in hot water

Cited by 68 publications

References 43 publications

Alcohol Pretreatment to Eliminate the Interference of Micro Additive Particles in the Identification of Microplastics Using Raman Spectroscopy

Alcohol Pretreatment to Eliminate the Interference of Micro Additive Particles in the Identification of Microplastics Using Raman Spectroscopy

Fabrication and Characterization of Transparent and Uniform Cellulose/Polyethylene Composite Films from Used Disposable Paper Cups by the “One-Pot Method”

Insight into the microplastics release from disposable face mask: Simulated environment and removal strategy

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