Polymer weathering in Antarctica

Tocháček, Jiřı́; Láska, Kamil; Bálková, Radka; Krmíček, Lukáš; Merna, Jan; Tupý, Michael; Kapler, Pavel; Poláček, Petr; Čížková, Klára; Buráň, Zdeněk

doi:10.1016/j.polymertesting.2019.105898

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The degradation onset was not affected by this and comparable to virgin PP (>315°C) (Beyler and Hirschler, 2002). Decreasing melting temperatures may be a first sign of polymer aging as similarly observed after 5-20 months of temperate weathering (Tocháček et al, 2019). This is consistent with the carbonyl groups identified via FTIR which are indicative for the photo-oxidation of polyolefins (Grause et al, 2020).…”

Section: Agricultural Plastic Coverssupporting

confidence: 82%

“…All PE covers melted within the range of 109-125°C and degraded >318°C as expected for virgin LDPE (Beyler and Hirschler, 2002). Interestingly though, melting temperatures of the PP fleeces were 5 to 10°C lower than those of virgin PP (165-170°C) (Beyler and Hirschler, 2002;Tocháček et al, 2019). The degradation onset was not affected by this and comparable to virgin PP (>315°C) (Beyler and Hirschler, 2002).…”

Section: Agricultural Plastic Coversmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Are agricultural plastic covers a source of plastic debris in soil? A first screening study

Steinmetz

Löffler

Eichhöfer

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Abstract. Agricultural plastic covers made from polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) offer increased yields and an improved crop quality. However, such covers are suspected of partially breaking down into smaller debris and thereby contributing to soil pollution with microplastics. To scrutinize this, we randomly sampled 240 topsoil cores (0–5 cm) from eight fields covered with fleeces, perforated foils, and plastic mulches for less than two years. Samples from the field periphery (50 m perimeter) served as reference. Visual plastic debris > 2 mm was analyzed by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflection (FTIR–ATR). Smaller, soil-associated plastic debris was dispersed from 50 g of fine soil (≤ 2 mm) using sodium hexametaphosphate solution and density-separated with saturated NaCl solution. The collected PE, PP, and polystyrene (PS) debris was selectively dissolved in a mixture of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene and p-xylene at 150 °C and quantified by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). We counted six PE and PS fragments > 2 mm in two out of eight fields. By contrast, Py-GC/MS analysis revealed PE, PP, and PS contents > 1 µg g−1 in seven fields (17 % of all samples). In three fields, PE levels of 3–35 µg g−1 were associated with the use of thinner and less durable perforated foils (40 µm thickness). This was slightly more pronounced at field edges where the plastic covers are turned and weighted down. By contrast, 50 µm thick PE films were not indicated to emit any plastic debris. PP contents of 5–10 µg g−1 were restricted to single observations in the field centers of three sites. On one site, we found expanded PS particles >2 mm that concurred with elevated PS levels (8–19 µg g−1) in the fine soil. Both PP and PS were distributed indistinctly across sites so that their source remained unresolved. In addition, the extent to which plastic contents of up to 7 µg g−1 in the field periphery of some sites were attributed to wind drift from the covered fields or from external sources needs to be investigated in future studies. Yet, our results suggest that the short-term use of thicker and more durable plastic covers should be preferred to limit plastic emissions and accumulation in soil.

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Section: Agricultural Plastic Coverssupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Agricultural Plastic Coversmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are agricultural plastic covers a source of plastic debris in soil? A first screening study

Steinmetz

Löffler

Eichhöfer

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The degradation onset was not affected by this and comparable to virgin PP (> 315 • C) (Beyler and Hirschler, 2002). Decreasing melting temperatures may indicate the presence of additives or other impurities but could also be a first sign of polymer aging, as similarly observed after 5-20 months of temperate weathering (Tocháček et al, 2019). This is consistent with the carbonyl groups identified via FTIR which are indicative for the photo-oxidation of polyolefins (Grause et al, 2020).…”

Section: Agricultural Plastic Coverssupporting

confidence: 79%

“…All PE covers melted within the range of 109-125 • C and degraded > 318 • C as expected for virgin LDPE (Beyler and Hirschler, 2002). Interestingly though, melting temperatures of the PP fleeces were 5-10 • C lower than those of virgin PP (165-170 • C) (Beyler and Hirschler, 2002;Tocháček et al, 2019). The degradation onset was not affected by this and comparable to virgin PP (> 315 • C) (Beyler and Hirschler, 2002).…”

Section: Agricultural Plastic Coversmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are agricultural plastic covers a source of plastic debris in soil? A first screening study

Steinmetz

Löffler

Eichhöfer

et al. 2022

SOIL

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Abstract. Agricultural plastic covers made from polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) provide increased yields and an improved crop quality. However, such covers are suspected of partially breaking down into smaller debris and thereby contributing to soil pollution with microplastics. To scrutinize this, we randomly sampled 240 topsoil cores (0–5 cm) from eight fields which were covered with fleeces, perforated foils, and plastic mulches for less than 2 years. Samples from the field periphery (50 m perimeter) served as a reference. Visual plastic debris > 2 mm was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Smaller, soil-associated plastic debris was dispersed from 50 g of fine soil (≤ 2 mm) using sodium hexametaphosphate solution and density-separated with saturated NaCl solution. The collected PE, PP, and polystyrene (PS) debris was selectively dissolved in a mixture of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene and p-xylene at 150 ∘C and quantified by pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). We counted six PE and PS fragments > 2 mm in two out of eight fields. By contrast, Py-GC/MS detected PE, PP, and PS contents in the fine soil of six fields (6 % of all samples). In three fields, PE levels of 3–35 mg kg−1 were potentially associated with the use of thinner and less durable perforated foils (40 µm thickness). This was slightly more pronounced at field edges where the plastic covers are turned and weighed down. By contrast, 50 µm thick PE films were not shown to emit any plastic debris. PP contents of 5–10 mg kg−1 were restricted to single observations in the field centers of three sites. At one site, we found expanded PS particles > 2 mm that concurred with elevated PS levels (8–19 mg kg−1) in the fine soil. Both PP and PS were distributed indistinctly across sites so that their source remained unresolved. In addition, the extent to which plastic contents of up to 7 mg kg−1 in the field periphery of some sites were attributed to wind drift from the covered fields or from external sources needs to be investigated in future studies. Our results suggest that the short-term use of thicker and more durable plastic covers should be preferred over thinner or perforated films to limit plastic emissions and accumulation in soil.

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“…As an example of the energy flux variation at the JGM station, over the threeyear experiment (2015-2017) the mean annual sum of the total UV radiation was 264.6 MJ•m -2 , this was within both the UVA (260.2 MJ•m -2 ) and UVB (4.4 MJ• m -2 ) spectral ranges (Tocháček et al 2019). A comparison of the radiant energies dur-ing this period confirmed that the ratio of UV-B to UV-A is almost unchanged, i.e., it is not significantly influenced by the sudden reduction in the stratospheric ozone content during the spring months.…”

Section: How Did It All Begin -Why Antarctica?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Antarctica – A unique location for the testing of polymers

Tocháček,

Láska,

Bálková

et al. 2023

Czech Polar Rep.

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The Johann Gregor Mendel Czech Antarctic Station (JGM), located in the northern part of James Ross Island in Antarctica, provides a facility for research in many scientific disciplines, such as geography, geology, climatology and biology. In 2015 its activities were extended by the testing of plastics. When synthetic polymers, often referred to as plastics, are exposed to outdoor conditions they undergo irreversible changes due to the absorption of incident solar UV radiation and the consequent reactions with oxygen. Their stability and reliability for outdoor applications are tested through weathering at various locations around the world. Until 2015, when systematic research into plastics started at the JGM, no information on the resistance of plastics to the Antarctic climate was available.

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Polymer weathering in Antarctica

Cited by 5 publications

References 21 publications

Are agricultural plastic covers a source of plastic debris in soil? A first screening study

Are agricultural plastic covers a source of plastic debris in soil? A first screening study

Are agricultural plastic covers a source of plastic debris in soil? A first screening study

Antarctica – A unique location for the testing of polymers

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