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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Advancing plastic release modeling: updating emission flows and extending the system boundary from Switzerland to Europe
ClearAdvancing plastic release modeling: updating emission flows and extending the system boundary from Switzerland to Europe
Researchers updated a Swiss plastic release model and extended its geographic scope to the European scale by integrating improved emission pathway data from recent studies and incorporating previously excluded plastic release sources. The revised model offers higher-resolution estimates of plastic flows across European countries, enabling better-informed policy decisions on reducing plastic emissions to the environment.
Using Dynamic Release Modeling to Predict Historic and Current Macro- and Microplastic Releases
Researchers developed a Dynamic Probabilistic Material Flow Analysis model coupled with a release model to quantify historic and current macro- and microplastic emissions in Switzerland, providing a dataset tracking plastic releases across product lifecycles.
Using Dynamic Release Modeling to Predict Historic and Current Macro- and Microplastic Releases
Researchers developed a Dynamic Probabilistic Material Flow Analysis model coupled with a release model to quantify historic and current macro- and microplastic emissions in Switzerland, providing a companion dataset to a publication in Resources, Conservation and Recycling.
Reconciling plastic release: Comprehensive modeling of macro- and microplastic flows to the environment
How much plastic actually escapes into the environment each year? This comprehensive Swiss study built a detailed model tracking 245 different plastic release pathways across seven polymer types, estimating that about 222 grams of plastic per person per year enters the environment — with PET and polypropylene the largest contributors. Crucially, macroplastics (larger pieces) made up 82% of that total, and overall estimates were substantially lower than previous studies, suggesting that in well-managed countries with good waste infrastructure, plastic emissions may be lower than widely assumed — though still significant.
Using dynamic release modeling to predict historic and current macro- and microplastic releases
Using a dynamic material flow model, researchers tracked how macro- and microplastics have been released to the Swiss environment from 1950 to 2022 across 35 product categories and 183 release pathways. The model found that per-capita plastic use peaked around 2010 and has since declined slightly, but over the full period roughly 27 kg of macroplastics and 4 kg of microplastics per person were released to the environment — providing a quantitative baseline for designing more targeted reduction policies.
Plastic packaging flows in Europe: A hybrid input‐output approach
Researchers modeled plastic packaging material flows across the EU using a hybrid input-output approach, mapping supply chains by polymer type, packaging form, and application category to reveal that packaging represents a major fraction of plastic consumption with significant gaps in end-of-life recycling infrastructure.
A proxy-based approach to predict spatially resolved emissions of macro- and microplastic to the environment
Using land-use statistics, traffic data, and wastewater infrastructure as proxies, researchers created high-resolution maps of microplastic and macroplastic emissions across Switzerland at the regional level. The approach reveals that plastic pollution is concentrated near urban and high-traffic areas but varies substantially by polymer type and emission source.
Probabilistic material flow analysis and emissions modeling for five commodity plastics (PUR, ABS, PA, PC, and PMMA) as macroplastics and microplastics✰
Researchers developed probabilistic material flow models for five engineering plastics (PUR, ABS, PA, PC, PMMA) tracking their flows from production through use to environmental release, providing quantitative estimates of microplastic emissions to air, water, and soil across Europe.
Regionalized Characterization Factors for Microplastic Emissions in Life Cycle Assessment Considering Multimedia Fate Modelling
Researchers developed location-specific impact factors for microplastic emissions to be used in life cycle assessments, accounting for how plastics move between air, water, soil, and sediment. Their model covers nine world regions and shows that the environmental impact of microplastic emissions varies significantly depending on where they are released. The study helps fill a gap in current environmental impact tools, which tend to overlook plastic pollution when comparing products.
The “plastic cycle”: a watershed‐scale model of plastic pools and fluxes
This paper presented a watershed-scale conceptual model of plastic sources, fluxes, and fates — including landfill containment, environmental persistence, atmospheric interactions, and ocean export — arguing that terrestrial and freshwater plastic stocks are severely underappreciated in global accounting.
Polymer-Specific Modeling of the Environmental Emissions of Seven Commodity Plastics As Macro- and Microplastics
A polymer-specific material flow model estimated the environmental emissions of seven major commodity plastics as both macro- and microplastics into aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, finding significant differences in emission pathways by plastic type. The model highlights that understanding polymer-specific behavior is essential for accurate pollution estimates and effective mitigation strategies.
A mass budget and box model of global plastics cycling, fragmentation and dispersal in the land-ocean-atmosphere system
Researchers constructed a global mass budget and box model tracking plastic polymer flows from production through fragmentation into microplastics across land, ocean, and atmosphere. The model suggests ocean microplastic stocks are much larger than surface measurements indicate, and that atmospheric transport plays a significant role in redistribution of marine-derived microplastics.
Regionalized characterization factors for microplastic emissions in life cycle assessment considering multimedia fate modelling
This study developed regionalized characterization factors for microplastic emissions in life cycle assessment (LCA), using multimedia fate modeling to account for how plastics distribute across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial compartments. The new factors improve the accuracy of plastic product environmental impact assessments, which had previously underestimated ecosystem quality impacts.
Plastic dispersion and accumulation in the environment using a mass flow analysis approach
Researchers developed a material flow analysis model to quantify global plastic emissions and project their environmental accumulation through 2050 under business-as-usual, reduction, and zero-production scenarios. Results show that rubber microplastics from car tyres account for over 60% of global microplastic releases, accumulating primarily along roadsides and in subsurface waters, while packaging plastics from lower-middle-income countries dominate macroplastic inputs.
Exploring the EU plastic value chain: A material flow analysis
Researchers conducted a material flow analysis of the EU27 plastic value chain, finding that only 19% of plastics were recycled in 2019, with total losses amounting to 4% of production and significant variation across sectors and polymer types.
How accurate is plastic end-of-life modeling in LCA? Investigating the main assumptions and deviations for the end-of-life management of plastic packaging
Researchers reviewed 49 life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on plastic packaging disposal and found that most models oversimplify real-world recycling processes and ignore key factors like plastic additives and microplastic generation. These gaps mean current environmental impact estimates for plastic disposal may significantly understate the true ecological costs.
Updated and comprehensive characterization factors for microplastics in life cycle assessment considering multimedia fate modelling
Researchers updated life cycle assessment characterization factors for microplastics, developing comprehensive factors that account for ecosystem quality, human health, and socioeconomic impacts across multiple environmental compartments. The updated factors enable LCA practitioners to more accurately compare the plastic pollution impacts of different product systems and waste management strategies.
Updated and comprehensive characterization factors for microplastics in life cycle assessment considering multimedia fate modelling
Researchers updated and expanded characterization factors for microplastics in life cycle assessment, allowing better quantification of plastic pollution impacts on ecosystem quality and human health. The new factors cover a broader range of particle types and environmental compartments than previous versions.
A local-to-global emissions inventory of macroplastic pollution.
This study developed a high-resolution global inventory of macroplastic pollution by distributing nationally reported waste management data down to sub-national and local scales, producing maps of plastic emission hotspots. The dataset is intended to support negotiations for a global plastics treaty by providing a data-driven baseline for identifying sources and prioritizing interventions.
New Management Strategy Framework for Effectively Managing Microplastic in Circular System from Plastic Product Manufacturing to Waste Treatment Facility
Researchers proposed a new management strategy framework for controlling microplastic release throughout the lifecycle of plastic products, from manufacturing through end-of-life in circular economy systems, incorporating soil, atmospheric, groundwater, and river-based pollution pathways. The framework provides actionable guidance for producers, regulators, and waste managers to systematically reduce microplastic entry into land and marine environments.
Methodology to address potential impacts of plastic emissions in life cycle assessment
Researchers proposed a new method for including the environmental impact of plastic emissions in life cycle assessments, which currently tend to make plastic products appear less harmful than alternatives. The approach introduces characterization factors based on how long different plastics persist in the environment. The study suggests that accounting for plastic pollution in these assessments could significantly change how the environmental footprint of plastic products is evaluated.
Modeling and Parametric Simulation of Microplastic Transport in Groundwater Environments
Researchers developed a parametric simulation model specifically for microplastic transport in groundwater environments, addressing the inadequacy of existing dissolved-contaminant models for studying particulate plastic pollution in subsurface systems.
The Plastic Pathfinder: A Macroplastic Transport and Fate Model for Terrestrial Environments
Researchers introduced the Plastic Pathfinder, a computer model that simulates how plastic waste moves across land through wind, rain, and river systems before reaching the ocean. The model helps identify key transport pathways and accumulation hotspots, which is critical information for targeting plastic pollution interventions.
Quantifying microplastic stocks and flows in the urban agglomeration based on the mass balance model and source-pathway-receptor framework: Revealing the role of pollution sources, weather patterns, and environmental management practices
Researchers developed a mass balance model using a source-pathway-receptor framework to quantify microplastic stocks and flows in an urban agglomeration, revealing how pollution sources, weather patterns, and environmental management practices collectively determine the transport of microplastics to receiving water bodies.