Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Characterization of Energy-Relevant Liquid Products from Vacuum Pyrolysis of HDPE Microplastic

Billions of tonnes of plastic waste, including HDPE microplastics, could potentially be converted back into liquid fuels through a process called pyrolysis. This study tested vacuum pyrolysis of HDPE microplastics at 550°C and characterized the resulting oil, finding it is dominated by alkanes and alkenes similar to light petroleum — suggesting real potential as an alternative fuel or chemical feedstock. While plastic-to-fuel pyrolysis is not a complete solution to the microplastics crisis, this work contributes to understanding the technical feasibility of one pathway for recovering value from plastic waste.

2026 Energy & Fuels
Article Tier 2

Analytical Methods and Devices for Bioenergy and Global Change Science

This thesis describes analytical methods and devices for studying global change processes including carbon dioxide emissions and microplastic pollution, connecting multiple environmental challenges through their measurement and monitoring needs. Developing better measurement tools is foundational to understanding and addressing microplastic contamination.

2018 TSpace
Article Tier 2

Combined use of vibrational spectroscopy and mass spectrometry techniques for the study of manuscripts and painted surfaces

This is a doctoral thesis focused on analytical chemistry methods for studying historical manuscripts and painted surfaces, not a microplastics research paper; microplastics appear only briefly as a minor biomonitoring application in a heritage-site survey, not as the primary subject.

2026 Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University)
Article Tier 2

Analisis Termogravimetri dan Dekomposisi Termal pada Produksi Bio-Oil dari Daun Tebu Menggunakan Proses Pirolisis Cepat

This Indonesian-language study uses thermogravimetric analysis to examine how sugarcane leaf waste breaks down during pyrolysis at different temperatures. The research contributes to developing bio-oil production from agricultural residues as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics.

2023 Eksergi 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Preparation and physicochemical characterization of cracking oil from waste plastics

Researchers systematically explored the preparation process and physicochemical properties of cracking oil derived from municipal solid waste plastics. Using characterization techniques including spectroscopy, the study examined the composition and properties of waste plastic cracking oil to inform its potential as a recovered fuel or feedstock.

2025 Advances in Engineering Research Possibilities and Challenges
Article Tier 2

Analytical Techniques for the Detection and Characterization of Microplastics: an Overview

This overview reviews state-of-the-art analytical methods for identifying and characterizing microplastics, covering spectroscopic and microscopic approaches and their strengths and limitations for detecting plastic particles across environmental compartments including water, soil, and biological samples.

2025 KDU Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies
Article Tier 2

Analytical methods used in microplastics identification: A review

This review examines the range of analytical methods used to identify microplastics in environmental samples, evaluating the strengths and limitations of techniques including visual inspection, spectroscopy, and chromatography for accurate microplastic characterization.

2024 Journal of Hydro-meteorology
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the environment and the analysis: fulfil knowledge gap of research size covering, methodology and analytical technologies

This PhD study addresses knowledge gaps in microplastic research by developing improved methods for detecting small microplastics (below 200 µm) and working to harmonize analytical approaches, enabling more consistent comparisons of microplastic data across environments and studies.

2023
Article Tier 2

The Rock‐Eval Method

This paper is not directly about microplastics; it introduces the Rock-Eval thermal analysis method, which was originally developed for characterising oil source rocks but is now also applied to characterise microplastics and monitor environmental pollution remediation, among other emerging uses.

2023 7 citations
Article Tier 2

A New Chemometric Approach for Automatic Identification of Microplastics from Environmental Compartments Based on FT-IR Spectroscopy

Researchers developed a new chemometric approach for automatic identification of microplastics from environmental samples, designed to handle the challenges of biofilm contamination and surface aging that typically impede standard spectroscopic characterisation methods.

2017 Analytical Chemistry 117 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization, performance, and application of a pyrolysis-GC/MS method for the identification of microplastics

Researchers optimized a pyrolysis-GC/MS method for identifying and quantifying microplastics in environmental samples, improving the reliability of polymer identification especially for small particles that are difficult to classify visually. The improved method is particularly valuable for analyzing the smallest microplastic size fractions that dominate by number in marine environments.

2018 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 329 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of Plastic-Derived Fuel Oil Produced from High- and Low-Density Polyethylene

Researchers analyzed the chemical composition and properties of fuel oils produced via pyrolysis from both high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE), evaluating their potential as alternative fuels. The study characterized hydrocarbon distributions and fuel quality parameters to assess the viability of plastic-to-fuel conversion as a waste management strategy.

2022 Recycling 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical-Physical Characterization of Bio-Based Biodegradable Plastics in View of Identifying Suitable Recycling/Recovery Strategies and Numerical Modeling of PLA Pyrolysis

Researchers characterized several bio-based and biodegradable polymer alternatives to conventional plastics using chemical-physical methods, assessing their suitability for industrial composting and identifying challenges in managing these bioplastics in the existing waste stream.

2023 Waste and Biomass Valorization 19 citations
Article Tier 2

The development and application of advanced analytical methods in microplastics contamination detection: A critical review

This review evaluated advanced analytical methods for detecting microplastic contamination, covering techniques from visual identification and spectroscopy to emerging approaches, and highlighted the need for standardized, efficient methods to improve environmental monitoring.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 116 citations
Article Tier 2

Determination of polyurethanes within microplastics in complex environmental samples by analytical pyrolysis

Researchers developed analytical pyrolysis methods to detect and quantify polyurethane microplastics in complex environmental samples, addressing a gap in microplastic monitoring given the highly variable chemical structure of polyurethanes which makes their identification especially challenging.

2023 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 20 citations