Investigation of aging of bio-based and fossil-derived disposable plastic waste in different environmental media

Öz

Petroleum-derived plastic materials are widely used in many fields such as packaging, textiles, construction, automotive, electronics, medicine and agriculture. The wastes of these plastics used can cause various negative effects on the environment and living things. Due to overuse, plastics are found in almost every compartment of the environment and plastics can remain intact in nature for centuries due to their extreme durability. In addition, the penetration of plastic particles formed by the aging of plastics into living things is one of the important risks posed by plastics in the environment. To reduce the negative effects of conventional (petroleum-derived) plastics, the use of biodegradable plastics (bioplastics), which can decompose in nature in a short time, is being tried to be widespread as an alternative. However, regardless of whether it is biodegradable or conventional, the short or long-term degradation processes of plastic materials containing many additives in nature are still unclear. In this study, the deterioration processes of petroleum-derived plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) and biodegradable polymer disposable plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) were followed for one year. Thanks to the studies carried out in water resources and soil environments around Sakarya province, it was aimed to reveal the early term changes of plastic materials. In this study, surface and structural changes of plastic materials placed in different natural environments were analyzed and evaluated. Optical microscope and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) were used for microscopic investigations and ATR-FT-IR (Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared) was used for spectroscopic investigations. The carbonyl index (CI) of the polymers was calculated using ATR-FT-IR data and the degree of degradation of the plastics was evaluated. While the findings show how plastic wastes change in different natural environments in the short term, they also provide essential data to simulate the long-term fate of these wastes.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Bioplastics
• Water resources
• Soil
• Environmental deterioration
• Carbonyl index
• Sustainability

Biyo-Bazlı ve fosil kaynaklı tek kullanımlık plastik atıkların farklı çevresel ortamlardaki eskimesinin incelenmesi

Öz

Petrol türevi plastik malzemeler, ambalaj, tekstil, inşaat, otomotiv, elektronik, tıp ve tarım gibi birçok alanda yaygın olarak kullanılmaktadır. Kullanılan bu plastiklerin atıkları çevre ve canlılar üzerinde çeşitli olumsuz etkilere yol açabilmektedir. Aşırı kullanım nedeniyle plastiklere neredeyse çevrenin her kompartmanında rastlanmakta ve son derece dayanıklı olmaları sebebiyle plastikler doğada yüzyıllarca bozulmadan kalabilmektedir. Ayrıca plastiklerin eskimesi ile oluşan plastik parçacıklarının canlılara nüfuz edebilmesi de plastiklerin çevrede yarattığı önemli risklerdendir. Geleneksel (petrol türevi) plastiklerin olumsuz etkilerini azaltmak amacıyla alternatif olarak, doğada kısa sürede ayrışabilen, biyobozunur plastiklerin (biyoplastikler) kullanımı yaygınlaştırılmaya çalışılmaktadır. Ancak, biyobozunur ya da konvansiyonel olması fark etmeksizin içeriğinde birçok katkı ihtiva eden plastik malzemelerin doğada kısa veya uzun vadede ayrışma süreçleri hala belirsizdir. Bu çalışmada, polietilen (PE), polipropilen (PP), polistiren (PS) ve genleştirilmiş polistiren (EPS) gibi petrol türevi plastiklerle polilaktik asit (PLA) gibi biyobozunur polimer yapısındaki tek kullanımlık plastiklerin değişim süreçleri, bir yıl boyunca takip edilmiştir. Sakarya ili çevresindeki su kaynaklarında ve toprak ortamlarında gerçekleştirilen çalışmalar sayesinde plastik malzemelerin erken dönemdeki değişiminin ortaya konulması amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmada farklı doğal ortamlara yerleştirilen plastik malzemelerin yüzeysel ve yapısal değişiklikleri incelenerek değerlendirilmiştir. Mikroskobik incelemelerde optik mikroskop ve SEM (Taramalı Elektron Mikroskobu), spektroskopik incelemelerde ise ATRFT-IR (Zayıflatılmış Toplam Yansıma-Fourier Dönüşümü Kızılötesi) kullanılmıştır. ATR-FT-IR verileri kullanılarak polimerlerin karbonil indeksi (CI) hesaplamaları yapılmış ve plastiklerin bozunma dereceleri değerlendirilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler, plastik atıkların farklı doğal ortamlarda kısa dönemde nasıl bir değişim gösterdiğine ve uzun vadedeki kaderini simüle etmeye yönelik önemli bilgiler sağlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Biyoplastikler
• Su kaynakları
• Toprak
• Çevresel bozunma
• Karbonil indeksi
• Sürdürülebilirlik

Kaynakça

1. [1] Andrady AL, Neal MA. “Applications and societal benefits of plastics”. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 1977-1984, 2009.
2. [2] European Bioplastics. “Bioplastics-Bioplastics Market Data”. www.european-bioplastics.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/02/Report_Bioplastics-MarketData_2018.pdf (11.10.2019).
3. [3] Oberoi G, Garg A. “Single-Use plastics: a roadmap for sustainability?”. Supremo Amicus, 24, 585, 2021.
4. [4] Kankanige D, Babel S. “Smaller-sized micro-plastics (MPs) contamination in single-use PET-bottled water in Thailand”. Science of the Total Environment, 717, 137232, 2020.
5. [5] Napper IE, Thompson RC. “Environmental deterioration of biodegradable, oxo-biodegradable, compostable, and conventional plastic carrier bags in the sea, soil, and openair over a 3-year period”. Environmental Science & Technology, 53(9), 4775-4783, 2019.
6. [6] Chang-Rong Y, En-Ke L, Fan S, Liu Q, Liu S, Wen-Qing H. “Review of agricultural plastic mulching and its residual pollution and prevention measures in China”. Journal of Agriculture Resources and Environment, 31(2), 95, 2014.
7. [7] Boucher J, Faure F, Pompini O, Plummer Z, Wieser O, de Alencastro LF. “(Micro) plastic fluxes and stocks in Lake Geneva basin”. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 112, 66-74, 2019.
8. [8] Law KL, Moret-Ferguson S, Maximenko NA, Proskurowski the G, Peacock EE, Hafner J, Reddy CM. “Plastic accumulation in North Atlantic subtropical Science, 329(5996), 1185-1188, 2010. gyre”.

9. [9] Kale SK, Deshmukh AG, Dudhare MS, Patil VB. “Microbial degradation of plastic: A review”. Journal of Biochemical Technology, 6(2), 952-961, 2015.
10. [10] Thompson RC, Olsen Y, Mitchell RP, Davis A, Rowland SJ, John AW, Russell AE. “Lost at sea: where is all the plastic?”. Science, 304(5672), 838-838, 2004.
11. [11] Carpenter EJ, Smith Jr KL. “Plastics on the Sargasso Sea surface”. Science, 175(4027), 1240-1241, 1972.
12. [12] Masry M, Rossignol S, Gardette JL, Therias S, BussieÃÄre PO, Wong-Wah- Chung P. “Characteristics, fate, and impact of marine plastic debris exposed to sunlight: A review”. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 171, 112701, 2021.
13. [13] Yousif E, Haddad R. "Photodegradation and photostabilization of polymers, especially polystyrene”. SpringerPlus, 2(1), 1-32, 2013.
14. [14] Brebu M. “Environmental degradation of plastic composites with natural fillers-A review”. Polymers, 12(1), 166, 2020.
15. [15] Rosu D, Visakh PM. Photochemical Behavior of Multicomponent Polymeric-Based Materials. 1st ed. Cham, Switzerland, Springer International Publishing, 2016.
16. [16] Abdelmoez W, Dahab I, Ragab EM, Abdelsalam OA, Mustafa A. “Bio-and oxo-degradable plastics: Insights on facts and challenges”. Polymers for Advanced Technologies, 32(5), 1981-1996, 2021.
17. [17] Dilkes-Hoffman LS, Pratt S, Lant PA, Laycock B. The Role of Biodegradable Plastic in Solving Plastic Solid Waste Accumulation. Editor: Al-Salem SM. Plastics to energy, 469-505, Amsterdam, Netherlans, William Andrew Publishing, 2019.
18. [18] Andrady AL. “The plastic in microplastics: A review”. Marine pollution bulletin, 119(1), 12-22, 2017.
19. [19] Guo X, Wang J. “The chemical behaviors of microplastics in marine environment: a review”. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 142, 1-14, 2019.
20. [20] Steinbüchel A. “Biodegradable plastics”. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 3(3), 291-297, 1992.
21. [21] Filiciotto L, Rothenberg G. “Biodegradable plastics: Standards, policies, and impacts”. ChemSusChem, 14(1), 56-72, 2021.
22. [22] Yasin NM, Akkermans S, Van Impe JF. “Enhancing the biodegradation of (bio) plastic through pretreatments: A critical review”. Waste Management, 150, 1-12, 2022.
23. [23] Haider TP, Volker C, Kramm J, Landfester K, Wurm FR. “Plastics of the future? The impact of biodegradable polymers on the environment and on society". Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 58(1), 50-62, 2019.
24. [24] Wei R, Zimmermann W. “Microbial enzymes for the recycling of recalcitrant petroleum‚Äêbased plastics: how far are we?”. Microbial biotechnology, 10(6), 1308-1322, 2017.
25. [25] Tournier V, Topham CM, Gilles A, David B, Folgoas C, Moya-Leclair E, Marty A. “An engineered PET depolymerase to break down and recycle plastic bottles”. Nature, 580(7802), 216-219, 2020.
26. [26] Danso D, Chow J, Streit WR. “Plastics: environmental and biotechnological perspectives on microbial degradation”. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 85(19), 1-14, 2019.
27. [27] Al Harraq A, Bharti B. “Microplastics through the Lens of Colloid Science”. ACS Environmental Au, 2(1), 3-10, 2021.
28. [28] Ammala A, Bateman S, Dean K, Petinakis E, Sangwan P, Wong S, Yuan Q, Yu L, Patrick C, Leong KH. “An overview of degradable and biodegradable polyolefins”. Progress in Polymer Science, 36(8), 1015-1049, 2011.
29. [29] Contat-Rodrigo L. “Thermal characterization of the oxodegradation of polypropylene containing a prooxidant/pro-degradant additive”. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 98(11), 2117-2124, 2013.
30. [30] Yakimets I, Lai D, Guigon M. “Effect of photo-oxidation cracks on behaviour of thick polypropylene samples”. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 86(1), 59-67, 2004.
31. [31] Hidalgo-Ruz V, Gutow L, Thompson RC, Thiel M. "Microplastics in the marine environment: a review of the methods used for identification and quantification". Environmental Science & Technology, 46, 3060-3075, 2012.
32. [32] Yurtsever M. “Mikroplastikler'e Genel Bir Bakış”. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Fen ve Mühendislik Dergisi, 17(50), 68-83, 2015.
33. [33] Jelle BP. “Accelerated climate ageing of building materials, components and structures in the laboratory”. Journal of Materials Science, 47(18), 6475-6496, 2012.
34. [34] Taghavi N, Udugama IA, Zhuang WQ, Baroutian S. “Challenges in biodegradation of non-degradable thermoplastic waste: From environmental impact to operational readiness”. Biotechnology Advances, 49, 107731, 2021.
35. [35] Zbyszewski M, Corcoran PL, Hockin A. “Comparison of the distribution and degradation of plastic debris along shorelines of the Great Lakes, North America”. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 40(2), 288-299, 2014.
36. [36] Girao AV. SEM/EDS and Optical Microscopy Analysis of Microplastics. Editors: Rocha-Santos T, Costa MF, Mouneyrac C. Handbook of Microplastics in the Environment, 57-78, Springer Cham, Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2022.
37. [37] Fotopoulou KN, Karapanagioti HK. “Surface properties of beached plastic pellets”. Marine Environmental Research, 81, 70-77, 2012.
38. [38] Almond J, Sugumaar P, Wenzel MN, Hill G, Wallis C. “Determination of the carbonyl index of polyethylene and polypropylene using specified area under band methodology with ATR-FTIR spectroscopy”. e-Polymers, 20(1), 369-381, 2020.
39. [39] Rouillon C, Bussiere PO, Desnoux E, Collin S, Vial C, Therias S, Gardette JL. “Is carbonyl index a quantitative probe to monitor polypropylene photodegradation?”. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 128, 200-208, 2016.
40. [40] Shi Y, Qin J, Tao Y, Jie G, Wang J. “Natural weathering severity of typical coastal environment on polystyrene: Experiment and modeling”. Polymer Testing, 76, 138-145, 2019.
41. [41] Bottino FA, Cinquegrani AR, Di Pasquale G, Leonardi L, Pollicino A. “Chemical modifications, mechanical properties and surface photo-oxidation of films of polystyrene (PS)”. Polymer Testing, 23(4), 405-411, 2004.
42. [42] Palsikowski PA, Kuchnier CN, Pinheiro IF, Morales AR. “Biodegradation in soil of PLA/PBAT blends compatibilized with chain extender”. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 26, 330-341, 2018.
43. [43] Green DS, Colgan TJ, Thompson RC, Carolan JC. “Exposure to microplastics reduces attachment strength and alters the haemolymph proteome of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis)”. Environmental Pollution, 246, 423-434, 2019.
44. [44] Beltran-Sanahuja A, Casado-Coy N, Simo-Cabrera L, SanzLazaro C. “Monitoring polymer degradation under different conditions in the marine environment”. Environmental Pollution, 259, 113836, 2020.
45. [45] Odabaşı SÜ., Büyükgüngör H. “Life cycle assessment analysis of plastic coupling”. Pamukkale University Journal of Engineering Sciences, 28(3), 434-443, 2022.
46. [46] Meng J, Wang Y. “A review on artificial aging behaviors of fiber reinforced polymer-matrix composites”. In MATEC Web of Conferences, International Symposium on Materials Application and Engineering (SMAE) EDP Sciences, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 20-21 August 2016.
47. [47] Venancio C, Lopes I, Oliveira M. “Bioplastics: Known effects and potential consequences to marine and estuarine ecosystem services”. Chemosphere, 309(2), 136810, 2022.
48. [48] Rillig MC, Kim SW, Kim TY, Waldman WR. “The global plastic toxicity debt”. Environmental Science & Technology, 55(5), 2717-2719, 2021.
49. [49] Tayyar AE., Üstün S. “Geri Kazanılmış PET'in Kullanımı”. Pamukkale University Journal of Engineering Sciences, 16(1), 53-62, 2010.
50. [50] Adam I, Walker TR, Clayton CA, Bezerra JC. “Attitudinal and behavioural segments on single-use plastics in Ghana: Implications for reducing marine plastic pollution”. Environmental Challenges, 4, 100185, 2021.
51. [51] Xanthos D, Walker TR. “International policies to reduce plastic marine pollution from single-use plastics (plastic bags and microbeads): A review”. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 118(1-2), 17-26, 2017.
52. [52] Vrana, B., Smedes, F., Allan, I., Rusina, T., Okonski, K., Hilscherová, K., Slobodník, J. “Mobile dynamic passive sampling of trace organic compounds: Evaluation of ampler performance in the Danube River”. Science of the Total Environment, 636, 1597-1607, 2018.
53. [53] Taylor AC, Mills GA, Gravell A, Kerwick M, Fones GR. “Passive sampling with suspect screening of polar pesticides and multivariate analysis in river catchments: informing environmental risk assessments and designing future monitoring programmes”. Science of the Total Environment, 787, 147519, 2021.
54. [54] MacKeown H, Benedetti B, Di Carro M, Magi E. “The study of polar emerging contaminants in seawater by passive sampling: A review”. Chemosphere, 299, 134448, 2022.