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Oxidative Degradation of Plastic Bottle Tops in an Arid, Terrestrial Environment—Identifying Oxidative Degradation by Infrared Spectroscopy
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Researchers monitored the photo-oxidation of polythene and polypropylene bottle tops placed on soil in a hot, arid environment using FT-IR spectroscopy. The study found that all bottle top types showed appreciable oxidation after just six months of environmental exposure, leading to brittleness and fissure formation that contributes to microplastic fragmentation.
This communication looks at the photo-oxidation of polythene and polypropylene plastic bottle tops that are placed on soil in a hot arid environment. The degree of oxidation of the plastic is monitored by FT-IR spectroscopy. It is noted that while different bottle top types photo-oxidize at different rates, all show an appreciable level of oxidation after half a year of exposure to the environment. The oxidation leads to brittleness of the plastic, which leads to fissure formation in bottle tops of little thickness. This leads to fragmentation of the material upon impact, making plastic bottle tops an appreciable source of microplastics.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.