Plasticizers – Benefits, Trends, Health, and Environmental
Plasticizers are colorless and odorless esters, mainly phthalates, that increase the elasticity of a material (e.g., polyvinylchloride (PVC)). Plasticizers soften the PVC to make it flexible and bendable. This opens up a huge range of possibilities for new applications. One of the main benefits of plasticizers is the durability they confer onto
Diverging trends of plasticizers (phthalates and non
The fate of plasticizers can differ in indoor and aquatic environments, because environmental conditions are not comparable. The predominant fate of phthalates in aerobic aquatic environments is biodegradation [ 102 ], whereas losses in indoor environments caused by microbial degradation could only be demonstrated at elevated humidity [ 16 ].
Synthesis of novel plasticizer ester end-capped oligomeric
With increasing attention to the environment and health, the demand for environmentally friendly plasticizers, which were applied to produce phthalate-free flexible poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC), is becoming more and more urgent.
Plasticizer - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
The environmental fate of plasticizers results from their chemical constitution. Most of them contain the ester group and thus the hydrolysis of ester bond is the main reaction in aqueous medium. According to Wolfe et al. [ 9] it appears that this reaction at pH 7 may be too slow and is negligible (the half-life time exceeds 100 days).
Biodegradability of Plastics: Challenges and Misconceptions
Common plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are extremely persistent in the environment, where they undergo very slow fragmentation (projected to take centuries) into small particles through photo-, physical, and biological degradation processes 1.
- How do plastic additives affect the environment?
- Environmental releases of plastic additives may also have a wide range of negative impacts on ecosystems. For example, plastic additives have been shown to cause toxic effects on aquatic organisms, soil microorganisms and plants, which can disturb the ecological balance and affect biodiversity (Sridharan et al., 2022; Luo et al., 2022).
- Is there a long-term fate of plastics in the environment?
- Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative There is a considerable knowledge gap regarding the long-term fate of plastics in the environment. Acknowledging this gap, in the context of life cycle assessment methods, is critical to account for the long-term fate of plastics in the decision-making process.
- Are plastic particles harmful to the environment?
- Ignoring the long-term potential for environmental and health damage from plastic particles makes it difficult to defend a quantitative environmental assessment comparing fossil-based conventional plastics with other alternative materials.
- Are plastic additives a hazard?
- Hazards of plastic additives. Despite the growing interest in plastic additives, most studies have focused on the hazards, migratory releases, and ecological risks of plastic additives, and no study has yet discussed plastic additive remediation strategies in details (Table 1).
- Are emerging plasticizers a regrettable substitution?
- This review compiles available data on toxicity, exposure, environmental effects, and safe production of emerging plasticizers. It identifies gaps in scientific research and provides evidence that emerging plasticizers are potential cases of regrettable substitution.
- How does plastic waste affect the environment?
- In particular the use of material that has been recycled from plastic waste by non-environmentally sound technologies and open burning in developing and transition economies, especially in Asia and Africa, result in environmental and human pollution.
