Plastic Samples Research Articles

Indirect evidence for elemental hydrogen in laser-compressed hydrocarbons

We demonstrate a significantly simplified experimental approach for investigating liquid metallic hydrogen, which is crucial to understand the internal structure and evolution of giant planets. Plastic samples were shockcompressed and then probed by short pulses of X-rays generated by free electron lasers. By comparison with ab initio simulations, we provide indirect evidence for the creation of elemental hydrogen in shock-compressed plastics at ∼150GPa and ∼5,000K and thus in a regime where hydrogen is predicted to be metallic. Being the most common form of condensed matter in our solar system, and ostensibly the simplest of all elements, hydrogen is the model case for many theoretical studies and we provide a new possibility to benchmark models for conditions with extreme pressures and temperatures. Moreover, this approach will also allow to probe the chemical behavior of metallic hydrogen in mixture with other elements, which, besides its importance for planetary physics, may open up promising pathways for the synthesis of new materials.Received 25 April 2022Accepted 10 April 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.L022023Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasHigh-energy-density plasmasHigh-pressure studiesLaboratory studies of space & astrophysical plasmasMaterialsShock wavesTechniquesDFT+DMFTX-ray diffractionPlasma Physics

Analysis of the Mechanical Properties of 3D-Printed Plastic Samples Subjected to Selected Degradation Effects.

The Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) method is an additive technology that is used for the creation of prototypes within Rapid Prototyping (RP) as well as for the creation of final components in piece or small-series production. The possibility of using FFF technology in the creation of final products requires knowledge of the properties of the material and, at the same time, how these properties change due to degradation effects. In this study, the mechanical properties of the selected materials (PLA, PETG, ABS, and ASA) were tested in their non-degenerate state and after exposure of the samples to the selected degradation factors. For the analysis, which was carried out by the tensile test and the Shore D hardness test, samples of normalized shape were prepared. The effects of UV radiation, high temperature environments, high humidity environments, temperature cycles, and exposure to weather conditions were monitored. The parameters obtained from the tests (tensile strength and Shore D hardness) were statistically evaluated, and the influence of degradation factors on the properties of individual materials was assessed. The results showed that even between individual manufacturers of the same filament there are differences, both in the mechanical properties and in the behavior of the material after exposure to degradation effects.

Survival of Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus on environmental samples is affected by material type and incubation temperature

Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus is an opportunistic pathogen associated with disease in a range of domestic and wild animals. Despite its importance, very limited data is available on its survival and persistence on the environment. The goal of this study was to evaluate survival of S. zooepidemicus under ideal culture conditions and farm-like setting, in various surface types. Rubber, plastic, wood, and concrete samples were sterilized and inoculated with 109 CFU/mL of S. zooepidemicus with or without feces, and cultured under ideal conditions (37 °C, 5% CO2) or farm-like settings (20oC on air) for a maximum period of 25 days (n = 3/material/environment/feces-group/time-point). Under ideal conditions without feces, the bacterium survived for up to 17 days on plastic and rubber surfaces, 4 days on wood and less than 1 day on concrete (P < 0.05 between materials). Samples under ideal conditions with feces and farm-like settings without feces were negative by day 1 post-inoculation, regardless of the surface material used. Wood and concrete allowed S. zooepidemicus persistence for up to 3 days under farm-like settings when feces were present. This data suggests that environmental persistence of S. zooepidemicus is affected by surface type and incubation temperature.

Advanced condition-based self-monitoring of composites damaged area under multiple impacts using Monte Carlo based prognostics

Studies on self-sensing system under multiple impacts are limited. Furthermore, real-time prognostics research using electromechanical behavior for impact-damage growth is rare and the impact-damaged area analysis has limited in self-sensing. In this paper, the health state of the carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic samples were monitored in real time utilizing self-sensing data. Damage analysis was conducted through C-scan and cross-sectional analysis, and the results were compared and correlated with those of failure analysis based on real-time electromechanical behavior during multiple impacts. Moreover, the relationship between electromechanical behavior and the impact-damaged area was investigated. The damage propagation during multiple impacts was identified in real time. Furthermore, the electromechanical behavior was predicted to prognosticate the damage propagation in the samples under multiple impacts using a particle filter. The RMSE of the impact-damaged area determined from the predicted electromechanical behavior using real-time prognostics tools was lower than 15 mm2. Moreover, the prediction accuracy according to data acquired was investigated. An advanced condition-based monitoring methodology can monitor current and future health states and damage propagation under 2 J and 3 J of multiple impacts that overcomes the previous self-sensing research. Therefore, this study showed high applicability and guidelines for future self-sensing research fields.

Temperature driven variations in VOC emissions from plastic products and their fate indoors: A chamber experiment and modelling study

Plastic products are ubiquitous in our homes, but we know very little about emissions from these products and their subsequent impact on indoor air quality. This is the first study to systematically determine temperature-dependent emissions of volatile organic compounds from commonly used plastic consumer products found in the home. The plastic types included high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS) and polyester rubber. Plastic samples were exposed to increasing temperatures (between 18 and 28 °C) in controlled environmental chambers, connected to a proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass-spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS), where real-time emissions were detected. Average emission rates were determined and used to initialise an indoor air chemistry model (INCHEM-Py) at the highest and lowest experimental temperatures, to explore the impact these product emissions have on the indoor air chemistry. The PS tubing plastic proved to be the highest emitting polymer per surface area. Almost all selected VOC emissions were found to have a linear relationship with temperature. Upon observing the impacts of primary VOC emissions from plastics in modelled simulations, the hydroxyl radical concentration decreased by an average of 1.6 and 10 % relative to the baseline (with no plastics included) at 18 °C and 28 °C respectively. On the other hand, formaldehyde concentrations increased by 29 and 31.6 % relative to the baseline conditions at 18 °C and 28 °C respectively. The presence of plastic products indoors, therefore, has the potential to impact the indoor air quality.

The distinct plastisphere microbiome in the terrestrial-marine ecotone is a reservoir for putative degraders of petroleum-based polymers

Research into plastic-degrading bacteria and fungi is important for understanding how microorganisms can be used to address the problem of plastic pollution and for developing new approaches to sustainable waste management and bioplastic production. In the present study, we isolated 55 bacterial and 184 fungal strains degrading polycaprolactone (PCL) in plastic waste samples from Dafeng coastal salt marshes, Jiangsu, China. Of these, Jonesia and Streptomyces bacteria also showed potential to degrade other types of petroleum-based polymers. The metabarcoding results proved the existence of plastisphere as a distinct ecological niche regardless of the plastic types where 27 bacterial and 29 fungal amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were found to be significantly (p < 0.05) enriched, including some belonging to Alternaria (Ascomycota, Fungi) and Pseudomonas (Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteria) that were also mined out by the method of cultivation. Further assembly analyses demonstrated the importance of deterministic processes especially the environmental filtering effect of carbon content and pH on bacteria as well as the carbon and cation content on fungi in shaping the plastisphere communities in this ecosystem. Thus, the unique microbiome of the plastisphere in the terrestrial-marine ecotone is enriched with microorganisms that are potentially capable of utilizing petroleum-based polymers, making it a valuable resource for screening plastic biodegraders.

Synthesis and characterization of eco‐friendly poly(ε‐caprolactone) plasticizer facilitating phthalate‐free polyvinyl chloride with novel star/net‐shaped structures

AbstractPotential migration and toxicity limited applications of traditional plasticizers like bis(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in food packing and medical machinery and so forth. Safe and feasible bio‐based plasticizers have recently moved into the limelight of research hotspot. Here, we designed series polyester plasticizers of various branches with star‐shaped poly(ε‐caprolactone) (SPCLs) and net‐shaped poly(ε‐caprolactone) (NPCLs) structures by one‐pot solvent‐free synthesis with glycidol and polyglycerol as initiators. Structures of SPCLs and NPCLs were further verified by FTIR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR. Moreover, the properties of the plasticizers and plasticized PVC were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile test. PVC films plasticized with the SPCLs or NPCLs exhibited increased plasticizing effect, compatibility, flexibility and cold resistance. The lowest Tg value of plasticized PVC samples (PVC/NPCL1‐C4) was −45.3°C, which made the plasticization efficiency reach 122.5%. In particular, PVC/SPCLs‐C4 (SPCL2‐C4) had 107% higher elongation at break than PVC/DEHP. Meanwhile, the initial decomposition temperature Ti value of the PVC blends maximum increased from 240 to 328°C when DEHP was completely replaced by SPCLs or NPCLs, indicating improved thermal stability of the plasticizer. Overall, “green” plasticizers with fining topological branch design would be promising to partially replace petroleum‐based plasticizers.

Organophosphate flame retardants and plastics in soil from an abandoned e-waste recycling site: significant ecological risks derived from plastic debris

The distribution of 9 organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) was determined in plastic debris and soil samples separated from twenty soil samples collected from an abandoned e-waste recycling area. Tris-(chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP) and triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) were the main chemicals, with median concentrations of 124-1930ng/g and 143-1170ng/g in soil, and 712-803ng/g and 600-953ng/g in plastics, respectively. Plastics contributed less than 10% of the total OPFR mass in bulk soil samples. No apparent OPFR distribution trend was observed in different sizes of plastics and soil. The ecological risks of plastics and OPFRs were estimated by the species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) method, which resulted in lower predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) of TPhP and decabromodiphenyl ether 209 (BDE 209) than the standard values derived from limited toxicity tests. In addition, the PNEC of polyethene (PE) was lower than the plastic concentration in the soil of a previous study. TPhP and BDE 209 had high ecological risks with risk quotients (RQs) > 0.1, and RQ of TPhP was among the highest values in literature.

Selection of the optimal extraction protocol to investigate the interaction between trace elements and environmental plastic

The interaction between environmental plastic and trace elements is an issue of concern. Understanding their interaction mechanisms is key to evaluate the potential threats for the environment. To this regard, consolidating confidence in extraction protocols can help in understanding the amount of different species present on plastic surface, as well as the potential mobility of trace elements present inside the plastic matrix (e.g., additives). Here we tested the efficacy of different reagents to mimic the elemental phases bonded to meso- and microplastic in the environment, in relation to the grade of ageing and the polymer composition. Results showed that a relatively high portion of trace elements is bonded in a weak phase and that other phases abundant in other matrices (e.g., oxides and bonded to organic matter) are only present to a limited degree in the plastic samples. The comparison of different sample types highlighted the important role of plastic ageing in governing interactions with trace elements, while the polymer composition has a limited influence on this process. Finally, the future steps toward a tailored extraction scheme for environmental plastic are proposed.

Classification of household microplastics using a multi-model approach based on Raman spectroscopy

The extensive use of plastics leads to the release and diffusion of microplastics. Household plastic products occupy a large part and are closely related to daily life. Due to the small size and complex composition of microplastics, it is challenging to identify and quantify microplastics. Therefore,a multi-model machine learning approach was developed for classification of household microplastics based on Raman spectroscopy. In this study, Raman spectroscopy and machine learning algorithm are combined to realize the accurate identification of seven standard microplastic samples, real microplastics samples and real microplastic samples post-exposure to environmental stresses. Four single-model machine learning methods were used in this study, including Support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), Linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and Multi-layer perceptron (MLP) model. The principal components analysis (PCA) was utilized before SVM, KNN and LDA. The classification effect of four models on standard plastic samples is over 88%, and reliefF algorithm was used to distinguish HDPE and LDPE samples. A multi-model is proposed based on four single models including PCA-LDA, PCA-KNN and MLP. The recognition accuracy of multi-model for standard microplastic samples, real microplastic samples and microplastic samples post-exposure to environmental stresses is over 98%. Our study demonstrates that the multi-model coupled with Raman spectroscopy is a valuable tool for microplastic classification.

Selective fluorescent probe for sensitive determination of bisphenol A based on molecularly imprinted polymers decorated carbon dots derived from citric acid and ethylenediamine

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupting chemical and poses a grave threat to the human health. Herein, a fluorescent probe constructed with molecularly imprinted polymers decorated carbon dots (CDs@MIPs) was proposed for determination of BPA with high selectivity. The CDs@MIPs were constructed using BPA, 4-vinylpyridine and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as template, functional monomer and cross linker, respectively. The obtained fluorescent probe not only owned a highly selective recognition function derived from MIPs but also displayed an excellent sensitivity for sensing BPA stemmed from CDs. The fluorescence intensity of CDs@MIPs was varied before and after the removal of BPA templates. The fluorescent decrease fraction of the fluorescent probe demonstrates a nice linearity in BPA concentration range of 10–2000 nM (r2 = 0.9998) and the detection limit is as low as 1.5 nM. The fluorescent probe was triumphantly utilized to sense the level of BPA in real aqueous and plastic samples with good results. Moreover, the fluorescent probe offered a wonderful means for fast identification and sensitive detection of BPA from environmental aqueous samples.

Benefits of using Plastic Crate compared to Poly Sack during Transportation of Vegetables

Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are some of the common vegetables that are grown and traded in Bhutan. It is cultivated in one part of the country and then transported to urban areas of the country for marketing. Poly sacks are commonly used for packing and transporting these vegetables. Plastic crates are recommended and promoted for use in packing and transporting vegetables but there is no study that has been conducted to prove their benefits. The aim of this study was to assess the transportation damage and economic benefit of using plastic crates during the transportation of vegetables compared to that of the poly sack. Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower were harvested in the late afternoon from Chali Gewog, sorted, packed and transported to the market in Bumthang town in the same evening. At the market, vegetables were assessed for transportation damage and physiological loss of weight was recorded. Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower packed in poly packs reported transportation damage of 8.75, 8.33 and 12.50 heads against 0.96, 0.44 and 0.41 percent for the plastic crate-packed vegetable samples with significant differences at P≤0.05. Poly-packed samples had significantly higher PLW of 2.02 kg, 2.83 kg and 3.40 kg compared to much lower PLW of 0.21 kg, 0.24 kg and 0.36 kg for broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, respectively. Among the vegetables packed in poly sacks, transportation damage was significantly higher for cauliflower at 12.5 heads compared to 8.75 and 8.33 heads for broccoli and cabbage. Transportation damage was minimal and not significantly different between the three vegetables for plastic crates sample. Harvesting damage of 0.35 was observed in broccoli while cabbage and cauliflower did not have harvesting damage. Physiological loss of weight was significantly higher in cauliflower for both packaging types. The net return from broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower packed in plastic crates was higher at Nu.27779.4, Nu.8252.48, Nu.31127.4 compared to Nu.25232, Nu.7540 and Nu.26852 for poly sack packages, respectively. It is recommended that use of plastic crates for handling and transportation of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower be encouraged and promoted among the stakeholders.

Hyperspectral reflectance dataset of pristine, weathered, and biofouled plastics

Abstract. This work presents a hyperspectral reflectance dataset of macroplastic samples acquired using Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD) FieldSpec 4. Samples analyzed consisted of pristine, artificially weathered, and biofouled plastic items and plastic debris samples collected in the docks of the Port of Antwerp and in the river Scheldt near Temse Bridge (Belgium). The hyperspectral signal of each sample was measured in controlled dry conditions in an optical calibration facility at the Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek (VITO; Flemish Institute for Technological Research) and, for a subset of plastics, under wet and submerged conditions in a silo tank at Flanders Hydraulics. The wet and submerged hyperspectral signals were measured in a mesocosm setting that mimicked environmentally relevant concentrations of freshwater microalgae and suspended sediment. The ASD was equipped with an 8∘ field of view at the calibration facility, and a 1∘ field of view was used in the mesocosm setting. The dataset obtained complies with the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles and is available in the open-access repository Marine Data Archive (https://doi.org/10.14284/530, Leone et al., 2021).

Resilient deformation characteristics of subgrade silty filler under intermittent train loading

The intermittent loading method has been proved to be more realistic to simulate the long-term dynamic loading of trains on the subgrade, because the time interval of adjacent trains could be considered in this loading method. The plastic deformation characteristics under intermittent loading have been elaborated in previous studies, but the resilient deformation characteristics have not been reported. By carrying out a series of cyclic triaxial tests with intermittent loading, the resilient deformation characteristics of silty filler under intermittent loading were investigated. The test results indicate that the loading intermittence had a reduction effect on the resilient deformation, and this reduction effect was most significant for incremental collapse samples, followed by the plastic creep samples, and the plastic shakedown samples were the least. There was also a critical resilient strain for this silty filler under intermittent cyclic loading, beyond which the plastic strain developed rapidly to sample failure. A classification criterion for deformation behaviors based on the difference of resilient strain between the first and second loading stages Δεe,1-2, was proposed and then verified by other intermittent loading modes in which the intermittent duration and loading cycles per stage changed. Meanwhile, the limitations of this classification criterion were clarified, and a simpler method to identify the deformation behaviors of subgrade filler was presented based on the stable value of resilient strain under intermittent cyclic loading, which could satisfy the needs of railway engineers and workers to quickly evaluate the railway subgrade in service.

Experimental study on usage of (PET) waste plastic incorporating with (TIO2) titanium dioxide for the construction of plastic roads

Plastic waste, which is observed to be very harmful for the habitat, is found to be occur around 5% in municipal solid waste (MSW). Currently a critical problem is the discarding of plastic waste. These waste plastics are everlasting, which in turn contributes to the immense environment contamination and public health troubles. The several researches at different institutes advised that this waste plastic can be utilized for the purpose of construction of asphaltic pavements. The usage of this plastic waste for constructing pavements is depended on the economic, technical and ecological criteria. If this waste plastic be used properly for the manufacturing of roads, discarding and problems of contamination will be diminished to a great extent. The main aim of this study is to find out the maximum proportion of plastic waste which will be added in the constructional mix for getting the mandatory strength. The main focus of this study is to how the amount of waste plastic will be increased when a suitable amount of an admixture like tio2 will be blended to the normal plastic waste mix which will be utilized for the manufacturing of waste plastic pavements. Two kinds of plastic waste samples were casted, with Tio2 and without Tio2. Both kinds of samples were prepared according to Marshall Mix design prescribed by MORTH (IV revision) on both types of samples, tests like Marshall stability test and indirect tensile strength test were done and then the results were compared. It was observed that the value for both the Marshall stability and indirect tensile strength test shows a huge increase in their respective value of plastic samples blended with Tio2 when compared to the normal plastic waste samples at 17% of waste plastic, the Marshall stability value observed to be the maximum and however for the indirect tensile strength at 17% of plastic waste blended with 17% Tio2 shows the highest values when compared to normal plastic waste samples. It was seen that utilizing Tio2 as an admixture has given outstanding results and demonstrated maximum values for engineering and rheological properties like Marshall Stability, Deformational flow, density, water resistance and indirect tensile strength etc.

Experimental uncertainty assessment of meso- and microplastic concentrations in rivers based on net sampling

Meso- and microplastics have been collected via net sampling in marine and freshwater environments, but the effect of net clogging on evaluations of their concentrations (mPC) remains uncertain. We experimentally investigated the mPC uncertainties resulting from net clogging in the Ohori and Tone-unga Rivers, typical urban rivers in Japan, throughout 16 samplings with five filtration durations in one day. The weighted mean concentration in the Ohori River was significantly lower than that in the Tone-unga River, allowing us to examine the effect of clogging in rivers with different contamination levels. The variances in both rivers consistently tended to increase with increasing filtration duration, which can be expressed by applying the integral form of the Weibull reliability function (WRF).Furthermore, application of the WRF successfully revealed the optimal filtration durations in the Ohori and Tone-unga Rivers, which depended on the plastic abundance and sample volume. Since it could be difficult to obtain the plastic contamination level in advance, our suggestion is to predict the time sustained above 85 % filtration efficiency by applying a WRF-based model. In actuality, the sustained time in the Ohori (Tone-unga) River varied between 2.6 and 6.2 min (3.2 and 7.1 min) throughout the experiment, which permitted low mPC uncertainties of 12 % and 9.5 %, respectively. If notable uncertainty exists due to a low contamination level, a net with a high open area ratio should be used to increase the filtration duration. Hence, our results emphasize the importance of considering the open area ratio of nets used for sampling in studies. Our study provides insights into the occurrence of uncertainty due to net clogging to establish a standardized methodology for meso- and microplastic monitoring in aquatic environments via net sampling and consequently contributes to improving the sampling accuracy.

A voltammetric sensor for bisphenol A using gold nanochains and carbon nanotubes

Gold nanochains (AuNCs) were prepared, and this novel material was combined with carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (cMWCNTs) to be a nanocomposite for the first time. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Vis spectra were used to characterize the successful preparation of AuNCs and AuNC-cMWCNT composite. Based on this hybrid material, a voltammetric sensor of bisphenol A (BPA) was established. The proposed sensor displayed excellent performance for the measurement of BPA by obvious decreased anodic peak potential and enlarged peak current. Using the optimized conditions, BPA was detected using linear sweep voltammetry, and the linear range showed as wide as 0.5 μM to 2000 μM with the detection limit estimated to be 12 nM (S/N = 3). The as-proposed sensor also exhibited satisfactory performance in determining BPA of actual plastic samples.

Bio-plastic from renewable biomass sources

Bio-plastics are environment – friendly and biodegradable hence provide an effective way to replace the conventional plastics. In this experiment five different crops were taken and then extracted the starch from each crop. Starch is used as a source for producing bio-plastics. Bio-plastic were generated from different starches. Sorghum showed the maximum production of starch (369gm). 15% glycerol is used as a plasticiser and bio-plastics was produced from the extracted starch. Glycerol increases its flexibility. Sodium meta-bisulphate was used as a antimicrobial activity. Maize showed the maximum production of plastic i.e. 28.26 gm. Once the bio-plastics made, the quality parameters were studied. Like tensile strength, elongation test and degradation test. While calculating tensile strength the stretchiness and toughness of that particular bio-plastic sample is important and the tensile strength of maize is 5.80 Mpa found to be maximum among all. An elongation test was carried out, and maximum elongation was takes place in plastic made from potato starch i.e it was elongated about 1.89 cm. In the degradation test the bio-plastic from rice takes more time for degradation. It degrades at the rate of 5.67 gm plastic in 10 days and plastic from sorghum degrades rapidly than other crops. In this study, the experiment conducted in order to produce biodegradable plastic from starch isolated from the different crops. The plastic sample produced may not characteristics of a petrochemical based plastic but it is good in biodegradability. Its tensile strength found that the plastic can be stretched as a conventional plastic. Bio-plastic s doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals. It will help us to protect the environment.

Analysis of step-heating thermography methods for defect depth prediction

In this study, five theoretical equations of specific characteristic peak times are proposed to predict the defect depth for step-heating thermography. These equations were derived for test samples with surfaces under adiabatic and convective heat transfer conditions, where, as demonstrated from experiments, the effect of convection on depth prediction can be significant for materials with low thermal conductivities. Two glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) samples with flat-bottom holes at various depths were inspected by step-heating thermography, and the defect depths were predicted by these five methods. Based on the experimental results, the prediction accuracy and the performance of these depth prediction methods are discussed.

The role of titanium dioxide on the behaviour and fate of plastics in the aquatic environment

Although titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the most widely used pigment in plastics, there is limited quantitative information available for consumer goods and environmental samples. Moreover, and despite its photocatalytic activity, the potential impacts of TiO2 on the behaviour and fate of environmental plastics has received little attention. This paper compiles measurements of Ti in plastic samples from aquatic environments and in consumer goods that are known to make important contributions to environmental pollution. These data, along with a critical evaluation of experimental studies using TiO2-pigmented plastics, are used to formulate an understanding of how the pigment modifies the properties and persistence of environmental plastics. Titanium is heterogeneously distributed amongst different categories and sources of plastic, with concentrations ranging from <1 mg kg−1 in transparent-translucent materials to over 50,000 mg kg−1 in brightly coloured samples. Concentrations towards the higher end are sufficient to change positively buoyant polyolefins into negatively buoyant plastics, suggesting that environmental fractionation based on Ti content might occur. Accelerated leaching of TiO2 from aged plastic has been demonstrated empirically, and while mobilised particles are reported within a size range greater than biotically-active titania nanoparticles, modelling studies suggest that the latter could be derived from TiO2 pigments in the environment. Although rutile appears to be the most important polymorph of TiO2 in non-fibrous plastics, the degree and type of engineered surface modification in consumer and environmental plastics are generally unknown. Surface modification is likely to have a significant impact on the photo-oxidative degradation of plastics and the mobilisation of fine (and, possibly, nano-sized) TiO2 particles and requires further research.