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Plastitar and pyroplastics as emerging vectors of coastal pollution: Chemical identification from Panjang Island (Java Sea) and Palm Beach, Florida
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Researchers chemically characterized plastitar and pyroplastic samples from coastal sites in Indonesia and Florida using infrared spectroscopy and two-dimensional gas chromatography, finding that Panjang Island samples contained some of the highest concentrations of PAHs ever reported in marine plastic debris—up to 247,951 ng/g—alongside elevated phthalates, highlighting these thermally altered plastic-tar hybrids as potent dual carriers of physical and chemical contamination.
Novel plastic-derived materials such as plastiglomerates, pyroplastics, and plastitar have emerged as persistent pollutants in coastal environments, yet their chemical compositions remain inadequately characterized. This study presents a comparative chemical analysis of plastitar and pyroplastic collected from Panjang Island (Java Sea, Indonesia) and Palm Beach (Florida, USA), regions influenced by nearby and/or downstream oil production, refining, natural seeps, and maritime activity. Polymers were identified by infrared spectroscopy as polyethylene, polystyrene, or polyurethane derived from thermally affected plastic debris or embedded in tar matrices. Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) analysis of Panjang Island samples, supplemented by comprehensive two-dimensional GC × GC-FID for selected specimens, revealed that the oil residue in the plastitar samples is dominated by n-alkanes (n-C to n-C) and contains isoprenoids (pristane and phytane). Meanwhile, the plastic part of the pyroplastic and plasticrust samples without oil residues exhibited irregular, unresolved chromatographic patterns. The plastitar and pyroplastic samples from Panjang Island exhibited exceptionally high concentrations of total PAHs (2399 ± 190 ng g to 247,951 ± 17,176 ng g) and total phthalates (1257 ± 24 ng g to 3169 ± 527 ng g), with one sample yielding the highest concentration of ΣPAHs ever reported in marine plastic debris. The dominance of high-molecular-weight PAHs and phthalates highlights the dual role of plastitar and pyroplastic as both physical carriers and sources of chemical pollutants. This study contributes to the growing recognition of plastitar and novel thermally altered plastic debris as distinct and hazardous form of marine plastic pollution.
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Plastiglomerates from uncontrolled burning of plastic waste on Indonesian beaches contain high contents of organic pollutants
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Researchers examined plastiglomerates — rocks fused with melted plastic — from Indonesian beaches where plastic waste is burned openly, finding high concentrations of toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalates in the samples. The burning process makes plastics more brittle and prone to breaking into microplastics, while also creating new mobile pollution forms that can carry chemical contaminants into nearby coral reefs and coastal habitats.
Plastitar in the Mediterranean Sea: New records and the first geochemical characterization of these novel formations.
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This study reports the widespread occurrence of 'plastitar' — a novel formation of plastic debris fused with petroleum tar — along Mediterranean coastlines, following its initial description from the Canary Islands. The authors found hundreds of plastic particles per kilogram of tar surveyed and characterized the geochemistry of these formations, representing a new type of plastic pollution in coastal environments.
Pyroplastics: A new potential threat to coastal environments in the Anthropocene.
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This review summarizes existing research on pyroplastics, plastic debris melted or burned in coastal fires. It found pyroplastics occur more often on coastal beaches than island beaches, often contain lead and chromium, and are commonly made of polypropylene or polyethylene, with most studies using FTIR to identify plastic types.
New Plastitar Record for the Mediterranean Sea: Characterization of Plastics and Tar from the Salento Peninsula (Ionian Sea)
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This study characterized 'plastitar' blocks — fused mixtures of tar, microplastics, and natural debris — collected from the Ionian coast of southern Italy, identifying the polymer types and petroleum-based compounds embedded within them. These hybrid pollution objects are a largely overlooked form of coastal contamination that concentrate both plastic and hydrocarbon pollutants in marine shoreline environments.
The characterization of pyroplastics on the Sea of Japan coastline
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Researchers characterized pyroplastics, a novel form of plastic waste originating from the burning and melting of plastics, collected from beaches along the Sea of Japan coastline. The study found these pyroplastics were ubiquitous across sampling sites, composed of mixed polymer types including polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, with the highest concentrations found at an enclosed bay site.
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