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Plastic to microplastic in the United Arab Emirates – plastic bottle caps in a hot, arid environment

Global NEST International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology 2023
Thies Thiemann, Bushra Selem, Abrar Alkarbi, Amna Alhosani, Fatma Ahmad, Maram Elemam, Syed Iftikhar, Abdel‐Hamid I. Mourad

Summary

This study assessed how plastic bottle caps degrade in the hot, arid conditions of the United Arab Emirates, finding accelerated photo-oxidation and surface hardening compared to temperate climates. Hot climates speed the fragmentation of plastic litter into microplastics, with implications for regions where outdoor plastic use is high.

The degradation of plastic bottle tops as a common contributor to plastic waste in the environment was assessed under the hot, arid conditions of the hinterland of the United Arab Emirates. 500 bottles tops were collected from 5 different locations in the Al Ain area and their surface oxidation index was determined through FT-IR measurements. The hardness of pristine bottle tops and bottle tops aged in the environment was compared.

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