Release of Plastic Additives and Microplastic Particles from Different Consumer Products into Water under Accelerated UV Weathering Conditions – by Dr. Lars Hildebrandt, Hereon
Photodegradation of plastic products is known to accelerate weathering and the resulting release of chemical additives and particles to the environment, however these processes are complex. Here, eight different plastic consumer products were leached in double-distilled water under exposure to strong ultraviolet (UV) light for ten days, and the chemical composition of the leachates was compared to their respective dark controls. The leachates and plastic particles were investigated with a wide battery of chemical-analytical tools to broadly characterize the underlying processes and possible hazards. These covered (a) metal(loid) analysis, (b) microplastic analysis, (c) analysis of >70 organic target analytes and (d) nontargeted screening of the extracts.
Inside the Laboratory –– Women in Separation Science Edition
April 25th 2024Inside the Laboratory is a joint series with LCGC and Spectroscopy, profiling analytical scientists and their research groups at universities all over the world. This series spotlights the current chromatographic and spectroscopic research their groups are conducting, and the importance of their research in analytical chemistry and specific industries. In this “Inside the Laboratory –– Women in Separation Science” special edition PDF, we profile four industry leaders and the impact that their research is having in specific fields such as environmental analysis, forensics, national security, and drug development.
