A high-resolution dynamic probabilistic material flow analysis of seven plastic polymers; A case study of Norway

Abbasi, Golnoush; Hauser, Marina; Baldé, Cornelis P.; Bouman, Evert A.

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2022.107693

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The results of this study were benchmarked against previous estimates for validation, including Norwegian studies but also studies with different geographical and temporal scopes (Tables S15–S17 in SI1). We calculated consistently higher plastic amounts present in the Norwegian plastic cycle than Abbasi et al for 2020 (see Table S15). This is primarily due to the wider coverage of polymer types in our system.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…The data consist of trade and production data as well as TCs for each individual year. The input data and the polymer composition for LDPE, HDPE, PP, PS, PVC, EPS, and PVC were adapted from Abbasi et al 34 The polymer composition for PUR, PA, PC, and ABS in traded quantities was modeled according to Klotz and Haupt 28 without any modifications since the Norwegian plastic economy is largely similar to the Swiss one. The mass distributions for these polymers to the different product categories were taken from Liu and Nowack 30 with slight adjustments to account for the differences in the covered product categories (see Section S3.1 in SI1 for details).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Material flow analysis (MFA) can provide a systemic view by mapping the flows and accumulation of plastic polymers used in different product applications in the economy and their release to the environment, further connecting the source of pollution to the final sinks. Previous studies used MFA to study the plastic cycle, − for detailed polymers, product- and sector-specific assessments, , including their flows to the environment, − and using inflow-driven dynamic models − to give a detailed picture of the current amounts remaining in in-use stocks and those found in sinks. However, the progressive release of microplastics from wear and tear processes is currently misrepresented in these assessments and usually modeled in the same way as lifetime-related outflows, resulting in the attribution of the overall releases throughout the entire lifetime of products to a single model time step (e.g., one year). , It is essential to consider the stock dynamics governing such flows to accurately estimate the microplastic releases to the environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mapping Plastic and Plastic Additive Cycles in Coastal Countries: A Norwegian Case Study

Marhoon,

Hernandez,

Billy

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The growing environmental consequences caused by plastic pollution highlight the need for a better understanding of plastic polymer cycles and their associated additives. We present a novel, comprehensive top-down method using inflow-driven dynamic probabilistic material flow analysis (DPMFA) to map the plastic cycle in coastal countries. For the first time, we covered the progressive leaching of microplastics to the environment during the use phase of products and modeled the presence of 232 plastic additives. We applied this methodology to Norway and proposed initial release pathways to different environmental compartments. 758 kt of plastics distributed among 13 different polymers was introduced to the Norwegian economy in 2020, 4.4 Mt was present in in-use stocks, and 632 kt was wasted, of which 15.2 kt (2.4%) was released to the environment with a similar share of macro- and microplastics and 4.8 kt ended up in the ocean. Our study shows tire wear rubber as a highly pollutive microplastic source, while most macroplastics originated from consumer packaging with LDPE, PP, and PET as dominant polymers. Additionally, 75 kt of plastic additives was potentially released to the environment alongside these polymers. We emphasize that upstream measures, such as consumption reduction and changes in product design, would result in the most positive impact for limiting plastic pollution.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%