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Characterization of foamed plastic litter on Danish reference beaches – Pollution assessment and multivariate exploratory analysis
Summary
Researchers characterized foamed plastic litter collected from six Danish reference beaches between 2018 and 2021, finding that polystyrene (42%) and polyurethane foam (49%) were the dominant polymer types. Multivariate analysis of FTIR spectra successfully distinguished rigid from flexible polyurethane foams, advancing methods for identifying this understudied but significant category of marine plastic pollution.
Foamed litter comprise a significant amount of the pollution at beaches globally. This group represents a variety of foamed items and fragments originating from different applications and sources. Although foamed plastic contributes importantly to the marine environmental pollution, there is generally limited knowledge of the composition of this litter pool. The aim of this study was to characterize item types and polymer materials of foamed litter from six Danish reference beaches during the period 2018-2021. The foamed litter were classified into ten categories, including identifiable items, as well as fragments of foamed PS, or pieces of other foamed polymers of rigid or flexible sponges. Foamed PS (42%) and PUR (49%) were identified as the dominant polymers by FTIR analysis. Multivariate exploratory analysis was performed to investigate PUR foam, and specific spectra features for rigid and flexible foam were demonstrated. Furthermore, we assessed different correlation methods for identification of PUR foams.