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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Polymer-Specific Modeling of the Environmental Emissions of Seven Commodity Plastics As Macro- and Microplastics
ClearProbabilistic 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.
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.
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.
Plastics in the global environment assessed through material flow analysis, degradation and environmental transportation
Researchers conducted a global mass flow analysis of plastic emissions across all countries, tracking 8 polymer types across 10 sectors into 7 environmental compartments. The study estimated that 0.8 million tonnes of microplastics and 8.7 million tonnes of macroplastics entered the environment in 2017, with tire wear being the largest source of microplastic emissions. Modeling predicts that even with zero plastic production after 2022, approximately 2.15 gigatonnes of plastics would still accumulate in the environment by 2050 due to landfill leakage and degradation.
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.
Modelling size and shape distributions of micro- and macroplastics emitted to the natural environment
This study developed models to describe the size and shape distributions of plastic particles emitted into the environment, combining data from multiple sources for the first time. Accurate physical characterization of emitted particles is essential for meaningful ecological risk assessment.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sources and Pathways of Microplastics to Habitats
This review examined the poorly understood sources and pathways through which microplastics enter terrestrial and aquatic habitats, arguing that managing plastic pollution at the source requires better identification of where different plastic types originate. The authors call for source-specific monitoring and targeted interventions to reduce microplastic inputs to the environment.
Role of Structural Morphology of Commodity Polymers in Microplastics and Nanoplastics Formation: Fragmentation, Effects and Associated Toxicity in the Aquatic Environment
This review examines how the structural morphology and chemical composition of commodity polymers influence the formation and environmental behaviour of microplastics and nanoplastics, arguing that chemical degradation pathways have been largely overlooked in favour of purely physical abrasion explanations for plastic fragmentation.
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.
Recycling of Plastics as a Strategy to Reduce Life Cycle GHG Emission, Microplastics and Resource Depletion
This study quantified the environmental benefits of recycling widely consumed plastic polymers, demonstrating that increased plastic recycling significantly reduces life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic pollution, and resource depletion.
The Way of Macroplastic through the Environment
This review analyzed entry paths, accumulation zones, and sinks of macroplastic in aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments, filling a gap left by the disproportionate focus on microplastics in current research. Macroplastic is the primary precursor to microplastic formation through fragmentation, making its environmental pathways critical to understanding the full plastic pollution problem.
Modelling size and shape distributions of micro- and macroplastics emitted to the natural environment
This study developed a model incorporating the physical size, shape, and density distributions of plastic particles to predict environmental risk more accurately than approaches based on mass alone. For the first time, physical property distributions were integrated into a risk assessment framework for plastics in water, soil, and air, improving exposure and hazard estimates.
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.
Advancing 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.
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.
Microplastics pollution - a qualitative material flow analysis
This study used material flow analysis to quantify microplastic pollution entering German water bodies from various sources including cosmetics, clothing, and rubber abrasion, finding that each source contributes differently to overall contamination. The analysis helps prioritize which plastic sources should be targeted to reduce microplastic emissions most effectively.
Predictive modelling to assess the accumulation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics in the natural environment.
Researchers developed predictive models to assess the accumulation of both biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics in natural environments, addressing the lack of a comprehensive methodology for quantifying MP buildup and enabling comparisons of environmental impact across polymer types.
Driver, Trends and Fate of Plastics and Micro Plastics Occurrence in the Environment
This review examines the sources, trends, and environmental fate of plastics and microplastics, which have become a major global pollution problem due to massive production and poor waste management. Understanding how plastics move through the environment is essential for designing effective pollution controls.