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Review of Bioplastics Characterisation by Terahertz Techniques in the View of Ensuring a Circular Economy
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Not directly relevant to microplastics — this review covers the use of terahertz spectroscopy and imaging for characterising bioplastic materials in the context of quality control and circular economy manufacturing.
The increasing scarcity of natural resources, worsening global climate change, environmental degradation, and rising demand for food are forcing the biotechnology and plastics industries to seek and apply circular economy models that would lead to a sustainable transition in the production and use of bioplastics. Circular economy models can improve the economic productivity of bio-based plastics and have a positive impact on the environment by reducing conventional plastic waste and the consumption of petrochemical feedstocks for plastic production. In addition, some agricultural wastes that have the potential to be used as bioplastics can be reused. Terahertz (THz) systems are already used in the plastics and rubber industries for non-destructive testing, detection, imaging, and quality control. Several reports have highlighted the potential applications of THz spectroscopy and imaging in polymer analysis and plastics characterisation. This potential is even greater with chemometric methods and artificial intelligence algorithms. In this review, we focus on applications that support the transformation of the biotechnology sector to the circular economy, particularly via the transition from conventional plastics to bioplastics. In this review, we discuss the potential of THz systems for the characterisation and analysis of bioplastics and biopolymers. The results of previous studies on biopolymers in the THz frequency range are summarised. Furthermore, the potential of using artificial intelligence approaches such as machine learning as advanced analytical methods in THz spectroscopy and imaging, in addition to the conventionally used chemometric methods, is discussed. The results of this review highlight that THz technology can contribute to closed technological circles in important areas of biotechnology and the related plastics and rubber industries.
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Identification and characterization of various plastics using THz-spectroscopy
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Researchers used terahertz spectroscopy, which has reached spatial resolutions of a few micrometres and interacts with molecular vibrations without ionizing samples or damaging DNA, to identify and characterize various plastic types, demonstrating the technique's potential for building materials databases and biological imaging applications.
Identification of the Compounds Used in Waste Bottle Caps Using Terahertz Radiation for Sustainable Resource Recycling to Benefit International Cooperation
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Not relevant to microplastics — this study proposes using terahertz wave spectroscopy to distinguish between polypropylene and polyethylene plastic bottle caps, addressing the limitations of near-infrared sorting technology in recycling facilities and enabling higher-purity material recovery.
Terahertz Detection of Halogen Additive-Containing Plastics
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Researchers applied terahertz spectroscopy to identify and distinguish different plastic types including polypropylene, polyethylene, PVC, and PET based on their terahertz transmission and refractive index characteristics. They found that halogen-containing plastics could be specifically identified by their terahertz spectral signatures, which is relevant for plastic waste sorting. The technique has potential applications in microplastic polymer identification.
Evaluation of Plastic Waste Degradation Using Terahertz Spectroscopy for Material Recycling
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Researchers tested terahertz (THz) spectroscopy as a tool to assess degradation levels in polyethylene and polypropylene plastics, a capability that conventional near-infrared spectroscopy lacks. Their results confirm that THz waves can distinguish between degraded and undegraded plastic samples, offering a potential upgrade to recycling sorting systems to improve the quality of recycled materials.
Characterizations of high-density polyethylene by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy
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Researchers characterized the optical properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) particles using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and found the method can distinguish different particle sizes and filler contents. The technique can also detect how HDPE adsorbs other substances onto its surface. Terahertz spectroscopy could be developed as a rapid, non-destructive tool for identifying and characterizing HDPE microplastics in environmental samples.
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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.