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Enabling the Polymer Circular Economy: Innovations in Photoluminescent Labeling of Plastic Waste for Enhanced Sorting
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This study characterized microplastic contamination in the surface water and deep sediments of a polar fjord system, finding that particles were distributed throughout the water column with elevated concentrations in near-bottom nepheloid layers. Sea ice formation and melting dynamics were identified as key processes redistributing microplastics vertically in this fjord environment.
It is widely accepted that moving from a linear to circular economy for plastics will be beneficial to reduce plastic pollution in our environment and to prevent loss of material value. However, challenges within the sorting of plastic waste often lead to contaminated waste streams that can devalue recyclates and hinder reprocessing. Therefore, the improvement of the sorting of plastic waste can lead to dramatic improvements in recyclate quality and enable circularity for plastics. Here, we discuss current sorting methods for plastic waste and review labeling techniques to enable enhanced sorting of plastic recyclates. Photoluminescent-based labeling is discussed in detail, including UV-vis organic and inorganic photoluminescent markers, infrared up-conversion, and X-ray fluorescent markers. Methods of incorporating labels within packaging, such as extrusion, surface coatings, and incorporation within external labels are also discussed. Additionally, we highlight some practical models for implementing some of the sorting techniques and provide an outlook for this growing field of research.
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Evaluation of Marker Materials and Spectroscopic Methods for Tracer-Based Sorting of Plastic Wastes
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Researchers evaluated fluorescent and photoluminescent marker materials for tracer-based sorting of plastic waste, finding that spectroscopic detection methods could enable more precise identification of polymer types to improve recycling rates.
Frontispiece: Photoluminescence‐Based Techniques for the Detection of Micro‐ and Nanoplastics
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This review article examines photoluminescence-based detection techniques for identifying micro- and nanoplastics in environmental samples. The paper discusses how fluorescence labeling, intrinsic plastic fluorescence, and surface-enhanced luminescence methods can be applied to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of plastic particle detection.
Photoluminescence‐Based Techniques for the Detection of Micro‐ and Nanoplastics
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This review examined photoluminescence-based techniques for detecting micro- and nanoplastics, evaluating fluorescent labeling and spectroscopic methods as promising approaches to address the challenge of identifying plastic particles at the smallest scales.
Photoluminescence spectroscopy on commercially available plastic products
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Researchers tested photoluminescence spectroscopy as a method to identify and distinguish different types of commercially available plastic products, building on earlier work showing that plastics fluoresce differently than natural materials. The technique offers a potentially faster and cheaper alternative to standard FTIR and Raman spectroscopy for microplastic identification.
Labelling of micro- and nanoplastics for environmental studies: state-of-the-art and future challenges
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Researchers reviewed labelling techniques used to track micro- and nanoplastics in environmental studies, categorizing them into fluorescent, metal, stable isotope, and radioisotope methods. The study found that fluorescent labelling works well for tracking microplastics while metal labelling is more sensitive for nanoplastics research, though a major challenge remains in developing techniques that do not alter the inherent properties of the plastic particles being studied.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.