We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Regionalized characterization factors for microplastic emissions in life cycle assessment considering multimedia fate modelling
ClearRegionalized 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.
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.
It is time to develop characterization factors for terrestrial plastic pollution impacts on ecosystems in life cycle impact assessment – a systematic review identifying knowledge gaps
Researchers reviewed how plastic pollution is — and is not — accounted for in life cycle assessments (LCAs), which are tools used to measure a product's full environmental footprint. They found that while ocean plastic impacts have been partially modeled, freshwater and terrestrial plastic pollution, including microplastics, are still missing from standard environmental impact calculations, leaving a major blind spot in sustainability analysis.
Modeling marine microplastic emissions in Life Cycle Assessment: characterization factors for biodegradable polymers and their application in a textile case study
Researchers developed new methods for measuring the environmental impact of biodegradable plastic microplastic emissions using life cycle assessment. They found that microplastic degradation rates may be overestimated when based on data from larger plastic pieces, and that microplastic emissions could account for up to 30% of the total environmental impact in a textile case study. The work aims to improve the accuracy of environmental comparisons between conventional and biodegradable materials.
How Relevant Are Direct Emissions of Microplastics into Freshwater from an LCA Perspective?
This study assessed the relevance of direct microplastic emissions into freshwater from a life cycle assessment perspective, providing initial inventory data and identifying key knowledge gaps needed to incorporate microplastic impacts into environmental assessments.
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.
Development of simplified characterization factors for the assessment of expanded polystyrene and tire wear microplastic emissions applied in a food container life cycle assessment
Researchers developed simplified characterization factors for assessing the environmental impacts of expanded polystyrene and tire wear microplastic emissions in life cycle assessment. The study modeled fate mechanisms for microplastics in the marine environment and applied the factors to a food container case study. The findings provide a methodology for incorporating microplastic pollution impacts into standard environmental assessment frameworks.
Plastic litter in life cycle assessment: Advances of the marine impacts in life cycle assessment international taskforce and application to case studies
Researchers reviewed advances in incorporating marine plastic litter impacts into life cycle assessment, focusing on recently developed indicators for biodiversity and ecosystem quality. The new indicators allow LCA practitioners to account for plastic pollution when comparing product systems and informing design choices.
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.
Is it fate? Quantifying the probabilities of mismanaged macroplastics reaching the ocean within the Life Cycle Assessment framework
Researchers developed a probabilistic framework within the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to quantify the likelihood of mismanaged macroplastics reaching the ocean at different life cycle stages, aiming to better quantify the contribution of macroplastics to marine pollution and their role as precursors to microplastics through fragmentation.
Microplastic Pollution Distribution in Aquatic Environments
This chapter examines the sources, distribution, and ecological impacts of microplastics in aquatic environments, and applies life cycle assessment methodologies to evaluate the broader environmental footprint of microplastic contamination throughout aquatic systems.
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.
Modelling land use influence on polymer-specific microplastics abundance and transportation from terrestrial to aquatic environments
Researchers developed a model to understand how land use patterns influence the abundance and transport of specific microplastic polymers from land into waterways. The study found that different land uses contribute distinct polymer types to the environment, providing evidence that targeted land management strategies could help reduce microplastic pollution in aquatic systems.
Microplastic Pollution: Fate, Sources, Transport and Identification
This review summarizes the sources, fate, transport, and identification methods for microplastics in aquatic and terrestrial environments, highlighting their global distribution across all ecosystems and the growing concern for their impacts on marine life, other organisms, and human health.
Plastic litter in life cycle assessment: Advances of the marine impacts in life cycle assessment international taskforce and application to case studies
This review examined advances in incorporating marine plastic litter impacts into life cycle assessment, addressing the long-standing gap in LCA methodology for accounting for plastic pollution as an environmental impact category. Recent progress by the MarILCA research group was highlighted as bringing LCA closer to properly reflecting biodiversity and ecosystem impacts from plastic waste.
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.
Micro/nanoplastics as environmental mediators: A systematic review of sources and interfacial processes driving cross-media transport and impacts
This systematic review advances a process-based framework for understanding how micro- and nanoplastics move between terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environments. The findings reveal that cross-media transport pathways are poorly integrated in existing research, meaning the full scope of human exposure to microplastics across environmental compartments is likely underestimated.
Including impacts of microplastics in marine water and sediments in life cycle assessment
This study developed new methods to measure the environmental impact of microplastics in both ocean water and seafloor sediments, filling a gap in how product environmental footprints are calculated. Previous assessments only considered microplastics floating in water but ignored those that settle into sediments where bottom-dwelling organisms live. Including sediment impacts gives a more complete picture of how plastic pollution from products affects marine life that may eventually enter the human food chain.
An effect factor for macro- and microplastic ingestion impacts on marine ecosystems for use in life cycle assessment
Researchers developed a global effect factor to quantify the fraction of marine air-breathing vertebrate species—mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles—potentially affected by macro- and microplastic ingestion, providing a tool to incorporate plastic impacts into Life Cycle Assessment.
A multimedia model to estimate the environmental fate of microplastic particles
Researchers developed SimpleBox4Plastic (SB4P), the first mathematical model capable of predicting how nano- and microplastics move through and accumulate across air, water, sediment, and soil simultaneously, accounting for processes like particle clumping, fragmentation, and attachment to natural materials. While concentration predictions carry uncertainty, the model provides a practical screening tool for assessing environmental exposure to microplastics where direct measurements are unavailable.
Advancing plastic release modeling: updating emission flows and extending the system boundary from Switzerland to Europe
Researchers updated and geographically extended a plastic release model originally developed for Switzerland to cover the full European scale, incorporating improved parameterisation of emission pathways based on recent empirical studies and expanding the system boundary to include previously unmodelled sources. The revised model provides more accurate estimates of plastic flows from products and waste streams into environmental compartments across Europe.
Modeling the spatiotemporal distribution, bioaccumulation, and ecological risk assessment of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems: A review
Researchers modeled the spatiotemporal distribution and ecological risk of microplastics across a coastal marine environment, incorporating hydrodynamic data and bioaccumulation factors for multiple species. The model predicted highest microplastic concentrations near urban outflows with risk extending through the food web.
The Microplastic Cycle: An Introduction to a Complex Issue
This study introduces and expands the microplastic cycle concept as a framework for understanding how plastic particles move across ecosystem reservoirs, connecting source-receptor models with the fate, transport, and effects of plastic pollution.