Tons Of Plastic Waste Research Articles

Co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastic: Circularity of wastes and comprehensive review of synergistic mechanism

Fossil fuels have provided humans with an enormous and stable primary energy source to rapidly develop advanced technologies, increasingly efficient machines and industries, as well as greater varieties of consumer products. While humans enjoy the conveniences of the modern world, critical global issues have also been created, such as an exponential hike in waste generation, rapid depletion of finite fossil fuels, greater environmental pollution, and climate change. Two major anthropogenic wastes are biomass waste and plastic waste. Each year, 464 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated globally, with only 20% recycled, 25% incinerated, while 55% landfilled. Likewise, 140 billion tonnes of biomass from the agriculture sector and 181.5 billion tonnes of lignocellulosic biomass from forestry and agricultural residues are produced worldwide annually, with only 40% and 4.5% biomass reuse respectively. This mountainous underutilised biomass and plastic wastes presented a good opportunity for recycling into biofuels instead of landfilling or open dumping, thus promoting circular bioeconomy. Pyrolysis stands out as a promising thermochemical route to synthesize biofuels, and co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastic benefits from synergistic interactions between both feedstocks, enhancing the yield and quality of biofuels. Therefore, in this review, the synergistic mechanism of biomass and plastic co-pyrolysis is described, and recent advances in this field are comprehensively presented. The importance of applying circular bioeconomy frameworks on biomass and plastic wastes are also highlighted.

Optimization of Composite Eco-Blocks Derived From Sawdust Ash and Plastic as an Alternative Aggregate

Plastic garbage circulating in bodies of water such as river streams, obstructing drainage canals, and massive piles of stinking waste are among the most indicative demonstrations of the Philippines rampant dissipation of waste in the environment. According to a 2015 report on plastic pollution by the Ocean Conservancy Charity and the McKinsey Centre for Business and Environment, the Philippines is the third-largest source of waste plastic that ends up in the ocean, after China and Indonesia. The Philippines discards around 2 million tons of plastic waste annually. Sawdust is a byproduct or waste product of the woodworking industry. Plastic is a material made up of a variety of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic compounds that are malleable and may be molded into solid things. Eco-blocks are eco-friendly bricks composed of recycled materials. The primary goal of this research is to create concrete blocks out of ground plastic wrappers and sawdust that has been burned to generate ash using alternative concrete aggregate. This research study may aid in the reduction of plastic waste and the preservation of the ecosystem. Each set included three types of concrete blocks: eco-blocks made from ground-up plastic cellophane, sawdust eco-blocks, and commercial hollow blocks. The Regional Office of the Department of Public Works and Highways examined the compression strength and wetness of eco-blocks. According to the findings, there is no discernible difference in durability between commercial hollow blocks and eco-blocks. When compared to grinded plastic cellophane eco-blocks and conventional hollow blocks, sawdust eco-blocks have a significant difference in terms of durability. The blocks have 9.69% less moisture than the limit of 45%, indicating a good grade block that fits the standards. As a result, eco-blocks manufactured from ground plastic cellophane and eco-blocks created from sawdust ash have the same potential and capability as commercial hollow blocks and are helpful concrete blocks when building structures.

Microplastic Contamination in Marine Fish and Shells in the Coastal Areas of Jember Regency, Indonesia

Highlight Research Fish and shellfish on the coast of Payangan and Puger Several types of microplastics were detected in their gastrointestinal tract There were microplastic types of fiber, fragments, granules, and filaments Abstract Every year, it is estimated that the Indonesian seas receive 100,000-400,000 tons of plastic waste used for human consumption. Indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste will have an impact in the future. The problem of microplastics is an illustration that the use of plastic in daily activities will cause environmental ecological damage. The purpose of the study was to describe microplastic contamination in marine fish and shells in the coastal areas of Jember Regency, Indonesia. The method used is to detect and identify the type and numbers of microplastic particles in the gastrointestinal tract content of sea fish and shells obtained from fishermen around Payangan and Puger coastal Jember, Indonesia. The gastrointestinal tract was extracted with peroxide oxidation method (WPO). A light microscope was used to examine microplastic particles of types and numbers. The results showed that marine fish and shells in the coastal area of Jember Regency, Indonesia have been contaminated with microplastic. The microplastic in each marine fish and shells sample has a different type. There were microplastic types of fiber, fragments, granules, and filaments in the shells sample, while in the marine fish samples, there were all these types except granules. Fish and shellfish on the coast of Payangan and Puger had several types of microplastics detected in their gastrointestinal tract.

Technical, Economic, and Environmental Comparison of Closed-Loop Recycling Technologies for Common Plastics

Over 400 million metric tons of plastic waste are generated globally each year, resulting in pollution and lost resources. Recycling strategies can recapture this wasted material, but there is a lack of quantitative and transparent data on the capabilities and impacts of these processes. Here, we develop a data set of material quality, material retention, circularity, contamination tolerance, minimum selling price, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, land use, toxicity, waste generation, and water use metrics for closed-loop polymer recycling technologies, including mechanical recycling and solvent-based dissolution of polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polypropylene, as well as enzymatic hydrolysis, glycolysis, and vapor methanolysis of PET. Mechanical recycling and PET glycolysis display the best economic (9%–73% lower than competing technologies) and environmental (7%–88% lower) performances, while dissolution, enzymatic hydrolysis, and methanolysis provide the best recyclate material qualities (2%–27% higher). We identify electricity, steam, and organic solvents as top process contributors to these metrics and apply sensitivity and multicriteria decision analyses to highlight key future research areas. The estimates derived in this work provide a quantitative baseline for comparing and improving recycling technologies, can help reclaimers identify optimal end-of-life routes for given waste streams, and serve as a framework for assessing future innovations.

Is reusable packaging an environmentally friendly alternative to the single-use plastic bag? A case study of express delivery packaging in China

The rapid growth of employing single-use plastic delivery bags (SPDBs) as express delivery packaging has led to serious resource depletion and environmental pollution. To mitigate these environmental threats, reusable plastic delivery boxes (RPDBs) were developed as an alternative option. This study utilized the life cycle assessment method to compare the environmental impacts of RPDBs and SPDBs. The results indicated that RPDBs cause fewer environmental impacts than SPDBs during intra-city delivery but higher impacts during inter-city delivery. Greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production were found to be the largest impact contributor, mainly from fossil energy generation during primary plastic pelleting. Increasing the average number of reuse cycles of RPDBs to 50, by 2025, would generate 6.24 million kg CO2-eq but could reduce CO2-eq emissions by 309.3 million kg and tons of plastic wastes by 0.96 million, compared to using SPDBs.

Parametric life cycle assessment modeling of reusable and single-use restaurant food container systems

Single-use packaging generates millions of tonnes of plastic waste per year – a circular economy waste-reduction strategy is to implement reusable container systems for restaurant takeout. We developed a parametric life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost model and used scenario analysis to study customer behavior effects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primary energy, water use, and cost of a reusable container system in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Under our base case scenario, the primary reusable container has lower impacts across most metrics than comparable single use containers. Benefits are sensitive to excess customer transportation; if 5% of customers make trips solely to return used containers, the reusable system has higher life cycle GHG emissions and primary energy use than single-use. Additionally, if a large fraction (close to 100%) of customers practice excess at-home washing of containers, the life cycle primary energy impacts will be greater than those of most single-use containers.

Business Roundup

BUSINESS Business Roundup ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2023, 101 (1), p 11January 2, 2023Cite this:C&EN 101, 1, 11AbstractMitsui & Co. (U.S.A.) and Petron Scientech are studying the construction of a biobased-ethylene plant in the US Southeast. The facility would use Petron technology and serve customers seeking low-carbon-footprint raw materials. Solid Power has licensed its solid-state battery cell designs to BMW as part of a joint development agreement. The carmaker plans to produce prototype battery cells at a pilot factory in Germany. Clariant will invest roughly $86 million to expand its ethoxylation capacity in Daya Bay, China. The firm’s plant there produces ingredients for pharmaceuticals as well as for cleaning and personal care products. Freepoint Eco-Systems has broken ground on a plant in Hebron, Ohio, that will use pyrolysis to break down up to 90,000 metric tons of plastic waste per year into petrochemical feedstocks. The firm will sell the output from the plant, expected to start up in 2024, to Shell. Oxyle , a Swiss start-up workingView: PDF | Full Text HTML

Review on Manufacturing and Testing processes of Wood-Plastic Composites

Now-a-days everyone is aware of the disadvantage of Plastic and its various products. Around 300-400 tonnes of plastic waste is generated every year. This also results in man environmental pollution as well as human health issues. But, this doesn’t mean that we completely don’t need plastic. It has much application in the field of composites which is trending as well as a good alternative of wood. Composite materials have significant strength as well as stiffness. They are also light in weight and long lasting. But, its application is limited to some fewer areas. On the other hand, wood have high straight compare to composite materials but come with disadvantage like hydrophobic material, on-fireproof, on-termite resistant. But when you mix plastic and wood we get wood-plastic composite eliminating many disadvantages of plastic as well as wood. Here, we have manufactured WPC considering different composition of composite as well as wood (60-40%, 70-30%, and 80-20%). Composites used are High-Density Poly-Ethylene (HDPE), Low-Density Poly-Ethylene (LDPE), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC).Further after manufacturing of WPC testing of WPC was carried out. Different Types of Mechanical, Physical and chemical test were carried out.

The excellence of chemical science in achieving a sustainable world

Global warming, ocean acidification, melting glaciers, extreme weather conditions, and biodiversity loss are mainly due to the continuous rise in CO2 level in the atmosphere. Land pollution and disruption in marine life and ecosystems are partly due of generation of a million tons of plastic waste.

997. Burden of Inappropriate Urine Culture Collection and Processing on the Environment

Abstract Background Healthcare is the second-most energy-intensive commercial sector in the United States. Clinical laboratories make up a large portion of that energy use and contribute significantly to waste production (7, 8, 9, 10). We aimed to estimate the environmental impact of urine cultures and suggest inappropriate culturing as a target for diagnostic stewardship and waste mitigation. Methods The total number of urine cultures performed by our facility’s microbiology laboratory was gathered. The plastic components, including bacterial culture plates, urine sample collection cups, and biohazard bags, were weighed. Results Between 3/07-03/13/21, 533 urine cultures were processed by our facility. Since the number of bacterial culture plates varies between samples, we calculated a range from 2 cell-culture plates (clean catch sample) to 4 cell-culture plates (in-and-out catheterization sample), with an additional 1-2 plates per isolate for susceptibility testing. This yielded a range of 3-6 total plates (30g for bacterial culture plates, 120g for susceptibility plates) used per processed urine culture. Each sample also requires a collection cup (27.2g or 19.1g) and a biohazard bag (4.1g) yielding a range of 95 - 192kg of plastic waste over the study period. Assuming this week represents an average week, our projected annual waste is between 6.5 to 12 tons for urine culture collection and testing. Conclusion In this single-center pilot study, urine cultures produced an estimated 6.5 to 12 tons of plastic waste annually. Prior studies suggest that 58%-68% of urine cultures are not clinically indicated (2, 3). This includes up to 35% of emergency department urine cultures being done in the context of a negative urinalysis, 20% of urine cultures sent without a urinalysis, and a urine culture contamination rate of at least 5% (4). While the effects of inappropriate urine cultures on length of hospital stay, antibiotic stewardship, and healthcare costs have been investigated, the subsequent impact on the environment has not been well studied (5). Although this study was limited by its reliance on estimated numbers, the sizable impact on healthcare’s net waste production suggests that further quantifying inappropriate culturing and how to alleviate it is an important area for further investigation. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Economic Conditions to Circularize Clinical Plastics

Over 5.5 million tons of plastic waste are generated globally from the research sectors. A university laboratory, e.g., pathology, can generate 250 tons of clinical plastic waste annually. The UK National Health Service (NHS) generates 133 kilotons (kt) of clinical plastic waste annually. Healthcare facilities in the US generate 1.7 million tons of clinical plastic waste annually. In addition, 95% of the clinical plastics are single-use plastics derived from fossil resources, i.e., crude oils. These single-use clinical plastic wastes are incinerated, contributing to global warming, or go to the landfill, contributing to resource depletion. Plastic leakage is a major threat to the environment. This linear plastics economy model, take-make-dispose, must be replaced by a circular plastics economy, i.e., sort plastic wastes, wash, decontaminate, recover materials, blend with bio-based compounds as necessary and circulate recyclate plastics, for holistic systemic sustainability. While there are multi-faceted environmental drivers for a circular plastics economy, there are many uncertainties in the economic attributes, electricity price, labor cost and chemical cost being the primary ones influencing the cost of production of secondary or recyclate plastics, requiring government and policy support, such as a gate fee on plastic waste by the generators to the recyclers. An essential macroeconomic condition for techno-economically (or micro-economically) feasible plastic waste recycling is low oil and gas prices that influence the recyclate plastics and electricity prices. It is essential to de-fossilize the economy by decoupling renewable electricity generation from natural gas consumption and fossil-independent biopolymer productions displacing fossil-derived plastics to stimulate the circular economy. This study shows a comprehensive and robust technoeconomic analysis of mechanical recycling of clinical plastic wastes into secondary plastics recovery.

Environmental and Human Health Impact of Disposable Face Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Wood-Feeding Termites as a Model for Plastic Biodegradation.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented form of plastic pollution: personal protective equipment (PPE). On the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a tremendous increase in the production of plastic-based PPE. To control the spread of the virus, face masks (FMs) are used as primary PPE. Thus, the production and usage of FM significantly increased as the COVID-19 pandemic was still escalating. The primary raw materials for the manufacturing of FMs are non-biodegradable synthetic polymers derived from petrochemicals. This calls for an urgent need to develop novel strategies for the efficient degradation of plastics. Furthermore, most of these masks contain plastic or other derivatives of plastic. The extensive usage of FM generates millions of tons of plastic waste for the environment in a short span of time. However, their degradation in the environment and consequences are poorly understood. Therefore, the potential impacts of disposable FM on the environment and human health during the COVID-19pandemic are clarified in the present study. Despite structural and recalcitrance variations, lignocellulose and plastic polymers have physicochemical features, including carbon skeletons with comparable chemical bonds as well as hydrophobic properties in amorphous and crystalline regions. In this review, we argue that there is much to be learned from termites by transferring knowledge from research on lignocellulose degradation by termites to that on plastic waste.

Eksplorasi material daur ulang sampah polystyrene (PS) menggunakan metode material-driven design

Every year the Indonesian people are estimated to contribute 0.48-1.29 million metric tons of plastic waste to the oceans. Polystyrene (PS) takes more than 500 years to decompose naturally among the types of trash thrown away. For local producers, PS waste recycling requires more processing than other thermoplastic waste processing. On the other hand, PS waste processing is interesting to develop because of its shiny and transparent nature, so it is used as a jewelry product that cannot absorb a lot of waste. Therefore, this study aims to explore the uniqueness of PS recycling further so that it can be utilized optimally by local plastic waste recycling business actors. This study uses primary data collection methods such as observation, focus group discussions, and experiments. Experimental stages are carried out to find the proper treatment and get a unique texture and shape different from other materials. Furthermore, an analysis is made using the material-driven design method to see the value of the material. This analysis produces material visualization concepts such as uneven, imperfect, artless, translucent, and luxurious, which are suitable to function as vocal points for room styling. This study found that deficiencies in processing existing PS recycled materials can be overcome effectively and efficiently by melting 75 percent of the shredded plastic.

Assess the Effectiveness Of Information Booklet Regarding Recycle Of Plastic Waste Among Community People

INTRODUCTION: Plastic is widely utilized all around the world. India is one of the top 15 polluters of plastic in the world, producing over 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste daily. On August 20, the LokSabha forbade the use of single-use plastic water bottles and other items. The government-run railroads will adhere to the same rules at all stations and aboard trains. According to a 2018 analysis by the Energy and Resource Institute in Delhi (TERI), which used information from India's federal pollution control agency, the country's annual output of solid garbage is made up 8% by plastic, the most of which is produced in Delhi, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad (CPCB) A total of 60 community members in Paloti Sawangi (M), Wardha, participated in this study.METHOD: For this study the Non- Probability quantitative sampling technique had been used.RESULT: One group per pre-test and post-test in the study's design. The knowledge of effective recycling and trash disposal practices for plastic was assessed. The study's findings showed that the average post-test score was 20.46, greater than the table value of 0.0001 S,p0.05 level, with a calculated pair-paired "t" value of 43.25. Additionally, the respondent's knowledge exceeded the mean pre-test knowledge score, which was 7.05 overall with a standard deviation of 2.25.CONCLUSION: Due to this, the information brochure on the risks of using plastic and correct disposal was successful and statistically significant. The study discovered no association between any specific demographic characteristic and the post-test knowledge score at a significance level of 0.05. The data analysis included both descriptive and inferential statistical methods.

Generation and consequence of nano/microplastics from medical waste and household plastic during the COVID-19 pandemic

Since the end of 2019, the world has faced a major crisis because of the outbreak of COVID-19 disease which has created a severe threat to humanity. To control this pandemic, the World Health Organization gave some guidelines like wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) (e.g., face masks, overshoes, gloves), social distancing, hand hygiene and shutting down all modes of public transport services. During this pandemic, plastic products (e.g., household plastics, PPE and sanitizer bottles) have substantially prevented the spread of this virus. Since the outbreak, approximately 1.6 million tons of plastic waste have been generated daily. However, single-use PPE like face masks (N95), surgical masks and hand gloves contain many non-biodegradable plastics materials. These abandoned products have created a huge number of plastic debris which ended up as microplastics (MPs) followed by nanoplastics (NPs) in nature that are hazardous to the eco-system. These MPs and NPs also act as vectors for the various pathogenic contaminants. The goal of this review is to offer an extensive discussion on the formation of NPs and MPs from all of these abandoned plastics and their long-term impact on the environment as well as human health. This review paper also attempts to assess the present global scenario and the main challenge of waste management to reduce the potential NP/MPs pollution to improve the eco-systems.

Plastic leachates impair picophytoplankton and dramatically reshape the marine microbiome

BackgroundEach year, approximately 9.5 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the ocean with the potential to adversely impact all trophic levels. Until now, our understanding of the impact of plastic pollution on marine microorganisms has been largely restricted to the microbial assemblages that colonize plastic particles. However, plastic debris also leaches considerable amounts of chemical additives into the water, and this has the potential to impact key groups of planktonic marine microbes, not just those organisms attached to plastic surfaces.ResultsTo investigate this, we explored the population and genetic level responses of a marine microbial community following exposure to leachate from a common plastic (polyvinyl chloride) or zinc, a specific plastic additive. Both the full mix of substances leached from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and zinc alone had profound impacts on the taxonomic and functional diversity of our natural planktonic community. Microbial primary producers, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic, which comprise the base of the marine food web, were strongly impaired by exposure to plastic leachates, showing significant declines in photosynthetic efficiency, diversity, and abundance. Key heterotrophic taxa, such as SAR11, which are the most abundant planktonic organisms in the ocean, also exhibited significant declines in relative abundance when exposed to higher levels of PVC leachate. In contrast, many copiotrophic bacteria, including members of the Alteromonadales, dramatically increased in relative abundance under both exposure treatments. Moreover, functional gene and genome analyses, derived from metagenomes, revealed that PVC leachate exposure selects for fast-adapting, motile organisms, along with enrichment in genes usually associated with pathogenicity and an increased capacity to metabolize organic compounds leached from PVC.ConclusionsThis study shows that substances leached from plastics can restructure marine microbial communities with the potential for significant impacts on trophodynamics and biogeochemical cycling. These findings substantially expand our understanding of the ways by which plastic pollution impact life in our oceans, knowledge which is particularly important given that the burden of plastic pollution in the marine environment is predicted to continue to rise.DubVoHjQQ1D-hWwEoHQrx7Video

Design of solvent-assisted plastics recycling: Integrated economics and environmental impacts analysis

In 2018, the United States generated over 35. 7 million tons of plastic waste, with only 8.4% being recycled and the other 91.6% incinerated or disposed of in a landfill. The continued growth of the polymer market has raised concerns over the end of life of plastics. Currently, the waste management system is faced with issues of inefficient sorting methods and low-efficiency recycling methods when it comes to plastics recycling. Mechanical recycling is the commonest recycling method but presents a lower-valued recycled material due to the material incompatibilities introduced via the inefficient sorting methods. Chemical recycling offers a promising alternative as it potentially allows for plastics to maintain their original properties. To that end, there is the need to investigate feasible chemical recycling methods to help mitigate the challenging problem posed by plastics at the end-of-life stage. This work proposes a conceptual solvent-assisted plastics recycling framework based on a superstructure optimization approach. This framework is evaluated using a representative case study to recover Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). In this case study, it is found that polymer recovery is both economically and environmentally favorable when compared to traditional methods of disposal such as incineration.

Circular closed-loop waste biorefineries: Organic waste as an innovative feedstock for the production of bioplastic in South Africa

The impact of landfills on the environment has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years due to the confounding effects of climate change and water scarcity. There is an urgent need to reduce from landfills the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, and to provide effective treatment solutions for waste, thereby diverting it from landfills. With an estimated 80 million tonnes of plastic waste entering the world’s oceans annually, the accumulation of marine plastic has become a global crisis. Plastic pollution threatens food safety and quality, human health and coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change. For these reasons, there is an urgent need to explore a bioplastic biorefinery process. This review paper examines the potential of organic waste as an alternative carbon source in the efficient and feasible microbial production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), which are precursors for bioplastic. More specifically, this paper presents a concept for a bioplastic biorefinery from a technological perspective, based on data from previous studies. Biofuel production processes are also assessed with the aim of integrating these processes to construct a bioplastic waste biorefinery. Garden refuse and food waste have been shown to be feasible feedstocks for the production of PHA and PHB in singular processes. Diverting these wastes away from landfills will significantly ease the environmental impacts currently associated with their disposal.Significance: A bioplastic biorefinery is a viable alternative to treat municipal organic waste. Several biofuel production processes can be integrated into a bioplastic biorefinery system. Organic waste is poorly managed in South Africa, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions. Several barriers and considerations must be overcome before implementing the technology at full scale.

A Review of the Fungi That Degrade Plastic.

Plastic has become established over the world as an essential basic need for our daily life. Current global plastic production exceeds 300 million tons annually. Plastics have many characteristics such as low production costs, inertness, relatively low weight, and durability. The primary disadvantage of plastics is their extremely slow natural degradation. The latter results in an accumulation of plastic waste in nature. The amount of plastic waste as of 2015 was 6300 million tons worldwide, and 79% of this was placed in landfills or left in the natural environment. Moreover, recent estimates report that 12,000 million tons of plastic waste will have been accumulated on the earth by 2050. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an effective plastic biodegradation process to accelerate the natural degradation rate of plastics. More than 400 microbes have been identified as capable of plastic degradation. This is the first paper of the series on plastic-degrading fungi. This paper provides a summary of the current global production of plastic and plastic waste accumulation in nature. A list is given of all the plastic-degrading fungi recorded thus far, based on the available literature, and comments are made relating to the major fungal groups. In addition, the phylogenetic relationships of plastic-degrading fungi were analyzed using a combined ITS, LSU, SSU, TEF, RPB1, and RPB2 dataset consisting of 395 strains. Our results confirm that plastic-degrading fungi are found in eleven classes in the fungal phyla Ascomycota (Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Leotiomycetes, Saccharomycetes, and Sordariomycetes), Basidiomycota (Agaricomycetes, Microbotryomycetes, Tremellomycetes, Tritirachiomycetes, and Ustilaginomy-cetes), and Mucoromycota (Mucoromycetes). The taxonomic placement of plastic-degrading fungal taxa is briefly discussed. The Eurotiomycetes include the largest number of plastic degraders in the kingdom Fungi. The results presented herein are expected to influence the direction of future research on similar topics in order to find effective plastic-degrading fungi that can eliminate plastic wastes. The next publication of the series on plastic-degrading fungi will be focused on major metabolites, degradation pathways, and enzyme production in plastic degradation by fungi.

A scoping review protocol on in vivo human plastic exposure and health impacts

BackgroundGlobal plastic production has increased exponentially since the 1960s, with more than 6300 million metric tons of plastic waste generated to date. Studies have found a range of human health outcomes associated with exposure to plastic chemicals. However, only a fraction of plastic chemicals used have been studied in vivo, and then often in animals, for acute toxicological effects. With many questions still unanswered about how long-term exposure to plastic impacts human health, there is an urgent need to map human in vivo research conducted to date, casting a broad net by searching terms for a comprehensive suite of plastic chemical exposures and the widest range of health domains.MethodsThis protocol describes a scoping review that will follow the recommended framework outlined in the 2017 Guidance for the Conduct of Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Scoping Reviews, to be reported in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. A literature search of primary clinical studies in English from 1960 onwards will be conducted in MEDLINE (Ovid) and EMBASE (Ovid) databases. References eligible for inclusion will be identified through a quality-controlled, multi-level screening process. Extracted data will be presented in diagrammatic and tabular form, with a narrative summary addressing the review questions.DiscussionThis scoping review will comprehensively map the primary research undertaken to date on plastic exposure and human health. Secondary outputs will include extensive databases on plastic chemicals and human health outcomes/impacts.Systematic review registrationOpen Science Framework (OSF)-Standard Pre-Data Collection Registration, https://archive.org/details/osf-registrations-gbxps-v1, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/GBXPS