Tons Of Plastic Research Articles

Comprehensive evaluation of plastic flows and stocks in South Africa

There is an urgent need to tackle the major challenge of plastic waste, as the increase in production and consumption of plastics is generating higher levels of waste. The South African government formulated a Waste Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Roadmap to facilitate the transition to a circular economy. To support this roadmap, this paper defines the plastic material flows within the country to enable the benchmarking of plastic footprints and to inform the transition to a circular economy. The flows and stocks of plastic were quantified using material flow analysis for a reference year with the most complete and recent data available. The paper presents the first known case of a Sankey diagram for plastic materials in South Africa and pioneers an approach to embed data uncertainty in a Sankey diagram and resource flows. The flow results for 2017 show an estimated 1,350,000 tons of primary plastic (24 kg/capita) and 2,742,970 tons of plastic product (49 kg/capita) were produced in South Africa, about 1,805,780 tons of primary plastic (32 kg/capita) were consumed and 2,247,323 tons (40 kg/capita) of plastic waste were generated. Furthermore, the study identified data and information gaps and underlying assumptions on waste evaluation that need to be revisited, and also proposes a new approach for a comprehensive evaluation of the recycling rate in South Africa.

Ecotoxicological and physiological risks of microplastics on fish and their possible mitigation measures.

Microplastics (MPs) are widely distributed and extensively found within marine ecosystems, and approximately 8milliontons of plastics are being dumped into the sea annually. Once reached the marine environment, plastics tend to get fragmented into smaller particles through photo-degradation, mechanical and biological processes. These MPs have raised concerns globally due to their potential toxic impacts on a wide variety of aquatic fauna and humans. Ingested microplastics can cause severe health implications in fishes, including reduced feeding intensity, improper gill functioning, immuno-suppression, and compromised reproducibility. Several studies were also conducted to scrutinize MPs trophic transfer through the food chain from primary producers to top predators and their bioaccumulation. This paper briefly summarizes all the possible sources, routes, bioavailability, trophic transfer, and consequences of microplastics in fishes. The review article also intended to highlight various mitigation strategies like implementing Four R's concept (refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle), integrated strategies, ban on single-use plastics, use bioplastics, and create behavioural changes with public awareness.

Availability and assessment of microplastic ingestion by marsh birds in Mississippi Gulf Coast tidal marshes

Millions of tons of plastic enter the environment every year, where much of it concentrates in environmental sinks such as tidal marshes. With prior studies documenting harm to marine fauna caused by this plastic pollution, the need to understand how this novel type of pollution affects estuarine fauna is great. Yet, research on the fate and uptake of plastic pollutants in estuarine ecosystems is sparse. Therefore, we quantified plastic prevalence and ingestion by two species of resident marsh bird, Clapper Rails (Rallus crepitans) and Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima), in coastal marsh ecosystems within Mississippi. We detected microplastics (plastics smaller than 5 mm) in 64% of marsh sediment samples, 83% of Clapper Rail and 69% of Seaside Sparrow proventriculus samples. Dominant types of microplastics detected in sediment and bird samples were fibers. This study provides the first evidence of microplastic ingestion by marsh birds and its distribution in coastal marshes within Mississippi.

Knowledge gaps on micro and nanoplastics and human health: A critical review

Recent research has made it clear that humans are ubiquitously exposed to microplastics and nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) via inhalation, dermal exposure and ingestion. Global plastic production has increased considerably with 400 million tonnes of plastic produced annually while plastic waste predominantly ends up in landfill. The accumulation of plastic in our water-bodies has detrimental long-term impacts, with persistent plastics degrading into smaller microplastics and nanoplastics (MPs/NPs). The presence of MPs/NPs in many food and beverages is a stark reminder of their pervasion into every aspect of the food chain. We have yet to determine if this long-term, chronic exposure to MPs/NPs has adverse effects on human health. This review examines the evidence in the literature highlighting the challenges of performing human studies including the lack of quantitative evidence, which is needed to make realistic estimates on the level of exposure and therefore risk. While occupational exposure to synthetic fibers in textile workers has been associated with respiratory disease, lung cancer, and bowel cancer, there are no other human studies. However, there are some rodent studies highlighting adverse effects on gut homeostasis, male reproduction, F1 offspring, and inflammation. Given these findings, further studies in human populations and model systems is a priority.

Projected plastic waste loss scenarios between 2000 and 2030 into the largest freshwater-lake system in Southeast Asia

Freshwater plastic pollution is critically understudied in Southeast Asia (SEA). Recent modelling studies indicate that SEA rivers contribute vast quantities of plastic to the world’s oceans, however, these fail to capture the complexity of individual systems. We determine the volume of mismanaged plastic waste (MPW) entering Tonle Sap Basin (TSB)—the largest freshwater lake–river system in SEA, between 2000 and 2030. Using economic, population and waste data at provincial and national levels, coupled with high resolution population and flood datasets, we estimate that ca. 221,700 tons of plastic entered between 2000 and 2020, and 282,300 ± 8700 tons will enter between 2021 and 2030. We demonstrate that policy interventions can reduce MPW up to 76% between 2021 and 2030. The most-stringent scenario would prevent 99% of annual MPW losses by 2030, despite substantially higher waste volumes and population. If successfully implemented, Cambodia will prevent significant losses in natural capital, material value and degradation in TSB worth at least US$4.8 billion, with additional benefits for the Mekong River and South China Sea.

Analysis of cost–benefit in life-cycle of plastic solid waste: combining waste flow analysis and life cycle cost as a decision support tool to the selection of optimum scenario

Millions of tons of plastic are consumed annually in the world due to its significant characteristics such as durability, flexibility, and low weight. High consumption has made plastic one of the most important municipal solid waste compounds, the quantity of which has increased in recent decades. Plastic solid wastes are known as a threat to the environment, and its efficient management in various aspects such as cost–benefit requires decision-making tools. This study was assessing the cost–benefit of plastic solid waste management by development of an economic model, and definition of different scenarios to change plastic solid waste management status. The results showed that 8971 tons of plastic solid waste were generated annually in the studied city. The plastic solid wastes were finally transferred to either recycling or landfilling site through 5 identified routes. 83 percent of the total recycled plastic solid waste was due to post-separation routes, and only 7.7 percent of the total plastic solid waste was recycled from the source separation route. The economic comparison of scenarios showed that with the aggregation of post-separation routes, the net revenue of plastic solid waste management increases by 334,000 euro per year while increasing the public participation and the ratio of source separation route raises net revenue by 875,000 euro per year, which was the best economic condition among the scenarios. Using life cycle cost method and it’s respected developed economic model truly satisfied the conditions of both, the current plastic solid waste management and the alternative scenarios, and hence can be adopted as a tool for decision-making.

REVIEW ON CONVERSION OF PLASTIC WASTE TO FUEL .

Plastics are an integral part of our modern life and are used in almost all daily activities. Over a 100 million tons of plastics are produced annually worldwide. Plastics have become common materials of our everyday lives, and many of their properties, such as durability, versatility and lightweight, can be a significant factor in achieving sustainable development. Plastic wastes (low density polyethylene) were used for the pyrolysis to get fuel oil that has the same physical properties as the fuels like petrol, diesel etc. The waste plastics are subjected to pyrolysis, catalytic degradation, pyrolysis-catalytic cracking upgrade and gasification to obtain different value-added fuels such as petrol, kerosene, and diesel, lube oil etc. Pyrolysis process in which batch reactors are used and temperature ranges between 370 to 550℃ under atmospheric pressure. Converting waste plastics into fuel hold great promise for both the environmental and economic scenarios. Thus, the process of converting plastics to fuel has now turned the problems into an opportunity to make wealth from waste. The aim of this review was focused on the introducing of the technologies used to conversion waste plastic to fuels.

Reimagining Plastic Pollution and Climate Activism: Contradictions of Eco-Education in Rachel Hope Allison's I'm Not a Plastic Bag

Reimagining Plastic Pollution and Climate Activism:Contradictions of Eco-Education in Rachel Hope Allison's I'm Not a Plastic Bag Brianna Anderson (bio) Media coverage of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) has largely centered on the negative impacts of plastic pollution on marine life, dominated by images of sea turtles snared in discarded fishing nets and seabird corpses filled with colorful bottle caps. However, the ever-growing trash vortex, which contains an estimated 79,000 tons of plastic, also plays a significant role in the larger climate change crisis (Lebreton 1). As a 2019 report published by the Center for International Environmental Law notes, "[n]early every piece of plastic begins as a fossil fuel, and greenhouse gases are emitted at each stage of the plastic lifecycle" ("Plastic" 1). In other words, marine pollution is not a localized issue that only imperils sea creatures but a global problem that exacerbates climate change and threatens all life on Earth. In response to this developing crisis, a number of children's imagetexts—a concept encompassing picture books, comics, and other text-image narratives (Mitchell 89)—published in the last decade seek to educate young readers about the dangers of plastic marine debris. Such is the case, for instance, in the graphic novel Aquicorn Cove (2018) and in picture books The Pout-Pout Fish Cleans Up the Ocean (2019) and Suki Seal and the Plastic Ring (2020). As these titles suggest, imagetexts in this "ocean pollution" subgenre typically feature anthropomorphized animals threatened by marine pollution. Notably, they also frequently include paratexts—prefaces, postfaces, or "what can you do?" addenda—that propose practical, at-home steps that children and their parents can take to combat ocean pollution. In this capacity, the ocean pollution imagetexts serve as eco-pedagogical literature that, as Geraldine Massey and Clare Bradford observe, "respon[d] to environmental issues and attemp[t] to enlist readers in taking action, encouraging them to reflect on the world as [End Page 172] it is, and to imagine future scenarios if environmental degradation proceeds unabated" (110). One of the most provocative, and in several respects sui generis, works to emerge from this eco-pedagogical genre is Rachel Hope Allison's hybrid graphic novel/picture book I'm Not a Plastic Bag (2012). The narrative takes up the issue of marine pollution by portraying the toxic GPGP as an adorable, anthropomorphic monster: a mass of trash with eyes formed from a tire and an umbrella. As the story progresses, the garbage monster's size increases exponentially as more waste accumulates in it, and so does its apparent loneliness as it fails to befriend passing marine animals. Although the cover identifies I'm Not a Plastic Bag as "a graphic novel"—and indeed, many of its pages are divided into comics panels—the book also includes many full and double-paged spreads reminiscent of picture book illustrations. As such, this mostly wordless imagetext straddles the line between the two mediums, functioning as what Nathalie op de Beeck terms a "picture-bookish" comic ("Comics-Style," 468). The graphic novel similarly addresses an ambiguous audience, with the back cover deeming the content "suitable for readers of all ages," while the whimsical illustrations of the GPGP appear to specifically target elementary or middle-grade readers (Allison, emphasis in original). Even the book's publication process emphasizes hybridity, with Plastic Bag published in 2012 as part of a collaborative eco-educational effort between comics publisher Archaia and the now-defunct Jeff Corwin Connect Foundation (Allison, back cover).1 The foundation bookends Allison's imaginative garbage monster narrative with educational paratexts that provide additional information about the GPGP, as well as a "How Can You Help?" action list that promotes simplistic, mostly local environmental activism. The jarring juxtaposition of the fantastic primary narrative with these rather clichéd instructional paratexts presents competing stories about what counts as environmental action for children in the Anthropocene. Allison's primary narrative uses elements of the comics medium and the anthropomorphic figure of the garbage monster to transform the GPGP from an unintelligible, and thus perhaps ignored, abstraction to an exigent crisis. This emphasis on the far-reaching, cataclysmic nature of marine pollution, along...

Evaluation of Microplastics in Japanese Fish Using Visual and Chemical Dissections

Up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic is estimated to be polluting oceans. Ranking as the fifth-highest plastic using country, Japan has an exceptionally high usage of single wrapped items. Additionally, as an island-nation, fish is vital to everyday life, making up approximately 40% of protein in Japanese diets. Based on these observations, I wondered how the overuse of plastic in Japan poses an ecological risk to marine species and their consumers local to Kanagawa Prefecture. To answer this question, I completed a plastic audit at a convenience store, took qualitative observations of plastic waste at three waterways, and dissected locally sourced fish to characterize ingested plastic. I found 83.4% of the convenience store’s items within the recorded sections had plastic wrapping or pieces. Additionally, each waterway observed had both plastic and marine species present. Using visual and chemical dissection, all fish had microplastics present in their gastrointestinal tract, including two species that are typically eaten whole in Japan. Out of the fourteen microplastics found through the chemical digestion method, six were classified as plastic microfibers, four were likely thread plastic, three were see-through pieces of plastic film, and one was a foam pellet. Overall, these results are concerning as previous studies have found that microplastics can carry persistent organic pollutants. Both bioaccumulation and biomagnification result in large levels of contaminants building up at the top of the food chain. It is presumed that the increasing consumption of microplastics will have negative implications on organ systems such as the liver, gut, and hormones.

Analysis of plastic waste management: Utilization, issues & solutions

Last 20 decades, plastics are used for many purposes and become an important part of our daily life. In many developing countries, people use the bags, bottles, utensils, furniture made up of plastics and for many more domestic purposes without considering the fact that it will create a lot of waste which is impossible to manage. Due to this fact, it recently has become a common and serious issue for the worldwide. It harms not only environment but also the human beings. Along with this, tons of plastics exist in oceans which causes loss of marine animals every year. Looking at this serious issue, there is a need to manage the plastic wastes by different methodologies like recycling and reusing, landfill, incineration, gasification and hydrogenation, etc. In this review paper, we are going to look towards the current procedures of use of plastic waste in current situation as well as to look for all the possibilities to minimize these wastes.

Plastics waste management: A review of pyrolysis technology

<abstract> <p>The world is today faced with the problem of plastic waste pollution more than ever before. Global plastic production continues to accelerate, despite the fact that recycling rates are comparatively low, with only about 15% of the 400 million tonnes of plastic currently produced annually being recycled. Although recycling rates have been steadily growing over the last 30 years, the rate of global plastic production far outweighs this, meaning that more and more plastic is ending up in dump sites, landfills and finally into the environment, where it damages the ecosystem. Better end-of-life options for plastic waste are needed to help support current recycling efforts and turn the tide on plastic waste. A promising emerging technology is plastic pyrolysis; a chemical process that breaks plastics down into their raw materials. Key products are liquid resembling crude oil, which can be burned as fuel and other feedstock which can be used for so many new chemical processes, enabling a closed-loop process. The experimental results on the pyrolysis of thermoplastic polymers are discussed in this review with emphasis on single and mixed waste plastics pyrolysis liquid fuel.</p> </abstract>

An overview to current status of waste generation, management and potentials for waste-to-energy (Case study: Rasht City, Iran)

This paper presents an overview of the current municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Rasht City, Guilan Province, Iran, followed by evaluating the potential for waste-to-energy. The data of different MSW functional elements were collected from previous works, available reports, interviews and meetings with specialists in the field. About 800 tons MSWs are generated in Rasht per day, of those, over 75% are organic wastes followed by paper and cardboard comprising 5.9%. The daily theoretical energy contained in the city MSWs was estimated to be over 591.62 megawatt hour (MWh, over 215942.54 MWh per year). Almost 500 tons of daily MSWs are directly transferred to Saravan as the biggest landfill in north of Iran with an area of about 30 ha, while the remaining portion is treated in the Guilan composting plant. Landfill mining calculations showed that we could recycle about 3008947, 36793, 61443 and 18366 tons of plastics, textile, wood and rubbers collected from Saravan landfill respectively. A simple assessment of waste-to-energy potentials from organic wastes using operational conversion coefficients revealed that by employing the combination of waste-to-energy and gas turbine technology, an estimated energy of 227.668 MWh can be produced from the Rasht daily food wastes. Although MSW management in Rasht has been improved over the last decade owing to the establishment of waste recycling and composting organization, however it is still far from the standard situation due to lack of comprehensive waste management planning, financial resources and infrastructures

Indoor spectroradiometric characterization of plastic litters commonly polluting the Mediterranean Sea: toward the application of multispectral imagery

Around 350 million tonnes of plastics are annually produced worldwide. A remarkable percentage of these products is dispersed in the environment, finally reaching and dispersed in the marine environment. Recent field surveys detected microplastics’ concentrations in the Mediterranean Sea. The most commonly polymers found were polyethylene, polypropylene and viscose, ethylene vinyl acetate and polystyrene. In general, the in-situ monitoring of microplastic pollution is difficult and time consuming. The main goals of this work were to spectrally characterize the most commonly polymers and to quantify their spectral separability that may allow to determine optimal band combinations for imaging techniques monitoring. The spectral signatures of microplastics have been analysed in laboratory, both in dry condition and on water surface, using a full spectrum spectroradiometer. The theoretical use of operational satellite images for remote sensing monitoring was investigated by quantifying the spectral separability achievable by their sensors. The WorldView-3 sensor appears the most suitable for the monitoring but better average spectral separability are expected using the recently released PRISMA images. This research was preparatory to further outdoor experiments needed to better simulate the real acquisition condition.

Air Pollution and Climate Forcing of the Charcoal Industry in Africa.

The demand for charcoal in Africa is growing rapidly, driven by urbanization and lack of access to electricity. Charcoal production and use, including plastic burning to initiate combustion, release large quantities of trace gases and particles that impact air quality and climate. Here, we develop an inventory of current (2014) and future (2030) emissions from the charcoal supply chain in Africa that we implement in the GEOS-Chem model to quantify the contribution of charcoal to surface concentrations of PM2.5 and ozone and direct radiative forcing due to aerosols and ozone. We estimate that the charcoal industry in 2014 required 140-460 Tg of biomass and 260 tonnes of plastic and that industry emissions could double by 2030, so that methane emissions from the charcoal industry could outcompete those from open fires by 2025. In 2014, the largest enhancements in PM2.5 (0.5-1.4 μg m-3) and ozone (0.4-0.7 ppbv) occur around the densely populated cities in East and West Africa. Cooling due to aerosols (-100 to -300 mW m-2) is concentrated over dense cities, whereas warming due to ozone is widespread, peaking at 4.2 mW m-2 over the Atlantic Ocean. These effects will worsen with ongoing dependence on this energy source, spurred by rapid urbanization and absence of viable cleaner alternatives.

Microplastics in Ghanaian coastal lagoon sediments: Their occurrence and spatial distribution

Each year millions of tonnes of plastic are produced worldwide and around 8 million tons are deposited into our marine environment. Rivers comprise the major conduit for plastic transport with their deltas, estuaries and coastal lagoons being the key interface between lotic aquatic and the oceanic environment. However, we have very little knowledge of the role of coastal lagoons in the plastic pollution pathways. We present the spatial and temporal distribution and abundance of microplastics in sediments from two coastal lagoons in Ghana, West Africa. Sediment cores were taken from Mukwei Lagoon, Kpeshie Lagoon and from the mangroves at Kpeshie Lagoon; areas approximately 5–15 km East from the centre of Accra. Microplastics were detected in all samples with a decreasing trend recorded from West to East. All three sites recorded a similar depth profile for plastics: after an initial increase from the surface samples, there was a significant decrease in microplastic concentrations with depth.

Microplastics and their potential effects on the aquaculture systems: a critical review

AbstractAccording to the statistics, 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastics have been produced since 1950s, which is far more than other synthetic materials and the annual production which are about 500 million tonnes per year at present. The production of plastics makes microplastics pollution extremely widespread distribution, which will have a lasting impact on the global environment, especially on the aquaculture systems. And the distribution of the microplastics is extremely imbalanced around the global waters. In the present review, we have summarized the development of aquaculture in the World and China based on the existing data sources. And the total aquaculture production of the World will over 90 million tonnes, which will exceed the capture production in 2020. Aquaculture products will become one of the most important sources of high‐quality protein. However, we found that many kinds of microplastics are detected and enriched in both farmed and captured species. Both endogenous and exogenous factors like the use of fishing plastic products, factory farming facility and equipment, natural and synthetic feed, animal health products, aquaculture fortifier and aquatic food additives make accumulation of microplastics easier. In addition, the safety of aquaculture products is closely related to human health because the residues of microplastics in fish leading to various potential hazards. In summary, this paper reviewed the relationship between microplastics and aquaculture, aimed at calling for the rational and restricted use of plastic products in the aquaculture ecosystems.

Material flow analysis of plastic in organic waste in Switzerland

AbstractSoils have been shown to be a major sink for plastic that is released to the environment. Several agricultural practices have been identified that can result in large plastic flows onto soils, among them the use of plastic‐polluted compost and digestate. However, the magnitude of this flow is currently still unclear. The aim of this work was to quantify the flows of plastic with compost and digestate onto soils based on data from Switzerland using material flow analysis (MFA). Input data to the model were based on published data on organic waste management and plastic content in compost. In order to quantify the plastic in the biomass input, measurements were made at an anaerobic digestion plant. Together with published data on the plastic content in compost, the full fate of plastic in organic waste in Switzerland could be obtained from 1985 to 2017. 6,300 t year−1 of plastic enter the system together with organic waste, and 6,200 t year−1 are removed and are incinerated. 34.5 ± 7.1 t year−1 are contained in the solid digestate, 50 ± 11 t year−1 in compost, 12.4 ± 3 t year−1 in windrow compost and 2.0 ± 0.4 t year−1 in solid digestate from codigestion. Overall, 71 ± 11 t year−1 of plastic are transferred to agricultural soil, 22.4 ± 3.3 t year−1 to horticulture and 3.6 ± 0.7 t year−1 to private consumers. Using dynamic MFA, we predict that 1,390 ± 390 tonnes of plastic have accumulated in Swiss soils through compost addition since 1985. These values can serve as basis for evaluating the contribution of composting to the plastic pollution in soils.

Covalent Adaptable Network and Self-Healing Materials: Current Trends and Future Prospects in Sustainability.

This work estimates that if the growth of polymer production continues at its current rate of 5% each year, the current annual production of 395 million tons of plastic will exceed 1000 million tons by 2039. Only 9% of the plastics that are currently produced are recycled while most of these materials end up in landfills or leak into oceans, thus creating severe environmental challenges. Covalent adaptable networks (CANs) materials can play a significant role in reducing the burden posed by plastics materials on the environment because CANs are reusable and recyclable. This review is focused on recent research related to CANs of polycarbonates, polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes, and polyurea. In particular, trends in self-healing CANs systems, the market value of these materials, as well as mechanistic insights regarding polycarbonates, polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes, and polyurea are highlighted in this review. Finally, the challenges and outlook for CANs are described herein.

Soil Pollution from Micro- and Nanoplastic Debris: A Hidden and Unknown Biohazard

The fate, properties and determination of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in soil are poorly known. In fact, most of the 300 million tons of plastics produced each year ends up in the environment and the soil acts as a log-term sink for these plastic debris. Therefore, the aim of this review is to discuss MP and NP pollution in soil as well as highlighting the knowledge gaps that are mainly related to the complexity of the soil ecosystem. The fate of MPs and NPs in soil is strongly determined by physical properties of plastics, whereas negligible effect is exerted by their chemical structures. The degradative processes of plastic, termed ageing, besides generating micro-and nano-size debris, can induce marked changes in their chemical and physical properties with relevant effects on their reactivity. Further, these processes could cause the release of toxic oligomeric and monomeric constituents from plastics, as well as toxic additives, which may enter in the food chain, representing a possible hazard to human health and potentially affecting the fauna and flora in the environment. In relation to their persistence in soil, the list of soil-inhabiting, plastic-eating bacteria, fungi and insect is increasing daily. One of the main ecological functions attributable to MPs is related to their function as vectors for microorganisms through the soil. However, the main ecological effect of NPs (limited to the fraction size < than 50 nm) is their capacity to pass through the membrane of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Soil biota, particularly earthworms and collembola, can be both MPs and NPs carriers through soil profile. The use of molecular techniques, especially omics approaches, can gain insights into the effects of MPs and NPs on composition and activity of microbial communities inhabiting the soil and into those living on MPs surface and in the gut of the soil plastic-ingesting fauna.

EFFECT OF THERMO-PHOTOCATALYTIC PROCESS USING ZINC OXIDE ON DEGRADATION OF MACRO/MICRO-PLASTIC IN AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENT

More than 320 million tons of plastics are produced annually, and the rate of plastic waste generation steadily increases by 3.9% per year. Introduction of plastic waste into water bodies may lead to many adverse environmental impacts as the plastic debris is very stable and generally requires a longer time to degrade. Over a period of time, bulk plastic debris will slowly degrade into small fragments known as macroplastics (particles size >5mm) and microplastics (particles size <5mm). Accumulation of this newly emerging class of pollutants potentially decreases the efficiency of the existing water treatment system. Therefore, improvement on the existing water treatment technique is required. This study aimed at investigating the effect of using the UV-assisted thermo-photocatalytic reaction on the degradation of polypropylene (PP) macro- and microplastics in an aqueous environment for 6 hours. ZnO nanoparticles (<50 nm) were employed as the photocatalyst. 23 Full Factorial design was carried out in order to identify the correlation between the reaction temperature (35-50 o C), size of PP plastic (25-100 mm2 ) and the catalyst dosage (1–3 g/L) factors and their influences on the weight loss of macro/micro-plastics. Maximum plastic weight loss of 7.8 wt% was achieved at 50°C, 1 g/L ZnO and 25 mm2 of PP plastic. The interaction between temperature and size must be taken into consideration.