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Thermogravimetric analysis and kinetic study of marine plastic litter
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This study characterized the composition and thermal degradation behavior of collected marine plastic debris, exploring pyrolysis as a method for recovering energy from plastic waste that cannot be recycled. Managing the large volumes of plastic debris in the ocean requires both prevention and end-of-life treatment solutions.
This paper deals with marine plastic debris and its collection and recycling methods as one possible answer to the rising amount of plastic in marine environments. A novel approach is to use energy recovery, for example pyrolysis of marine plastic debris into high-energy products. Compared to other thermal processes, pyrolysis requires less technical effort and the end products can be stored or directly reused. In order to design such an onboard pyrolysis reactor, it is necessary to know more facts about the feedstock, especially the thermochemical behaviour and kinetic parameters. Therefore, a thermogravimetric analysis was carried out for three selected plastic sizes with a temperature range of 34-1000 °C. The results obtained from TGA showed the same curve shape for all samples: single stage degradation in the temperature region of 700-780 K with most of the total weight loss (95%). Small microplastics had an average activation energy of 320-325 kJ/mol.
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This engineering paper studies the combustion and pyrolysis kinetics of coastal debris, including plastics, using thermogravimetric analysis. It is a waste-to-energy study that characterizes how mixed coastal litter — including plastics — breaks down under thermal treatment.
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This study is the first to analyze what happens when marine plastic litter is subjected to thermochemical recycling processes like pyrolysis and gasification. Understanding the composition and behavior of marine litter in these processes is key to enabling recycling of collected ocean plastic.
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This review explores the potential of thermal analytical techniques - including thermogravimetry and pyrolysis-GC/MS - for identifying and characterizing microplastics in environmental samples, covering both manufactured primary microplastics and degradation-derived secondary ones. Thermal methods offer advantages for bulk quantification and polymer identification that complement spectroscopic approaches.
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Researchers used pyrolysis and thermal analysis to identify polymer types and plastic additives in marine microplastic particles, finding a diverse range of polymers and additive chemicals in samples from multiple ocean environments.
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Researchers analyzed the thermal decomposition of discarded face masks — which contain plastic microfibers — to evaluate their potential for energy recovery through pyrolysis. The COVID-19 pandemic generated enormous quantities of mask waste, and understanding their thermal behavior can inform strategies for safely processing this new category of plastic waste.
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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.