An evaluation of the migration of antimony from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic used for bottled drinking water

Chapa-Martínez, C.A.; Hinojosa‐Reyes, Laura; Hernández-Ramírez, Aracely; Ruiz-Ruiz, Edgar J.; Maya-Treviño, L.; Guzmán-Mar, Jorge Luis

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.184

Cited by 67 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…In water and juices bottled in PET containers, leaching of Sb has been shown to be a function of time, temperature, pH and insolation. Resulting aqueous concentrations are typically well below admissible levels for the European Union (5 g L -1 ) and the US EPA (6 g L -1 ) (Hansen and Pergantis, 2006;Shotyk et al, 2006;Greifenstein et al, 2013;Chapa-Martinez et al, 2016) but are closer to a 1 g L -1 limit recently updated as a Public Health Goal (PHG) for Californian drinking water (Qiao, 2016). Mobilisation of Sb into pre-packaged food from PET trays heated by microwave and oven has also been documented, with quantities of the metalloid in cooked meals of up to about 35 g (Haldimann et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…More recently, scientific and media attention has been diverted to the presence of measurable concentrations of antimony in bottled water (Shotyk et al, 2006;Westerhoff et al, 2008), fruit juices (Hansen et al, 2006) and ready-meals (Haldimann et al, 2013) arising from the leaching of Sb from PET containers. PET is a highly favourable and widely used material for food and drink packaging and oven-proof and reheatable meals because of its thermal and physical stability, low density and recyclability (Chapa-Martinez et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the properties and applications of Sb, there are reasons to suspect that the presence of the element in our daily lives may be more widespread than is implied from current or past research. However, outside of the grey literature, systematic, quantitative information on the occurrence of Sb in the domestic and consumer setting appears to be limited to a few measurements performed on PET bottles (Chapa-Martinez et al, 2016) and other food-contact polymers (Puype et al, 2015), toys (Korfali et al, 2013) and end-of-life televisions (Saphores and Milovantseva, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Field-portable-XRF reveals the ubiquity of antimony in plastic consumer products

Turner

Filella

2017

Science of The Total Environment

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Very little systematic information exists on the occurrence and concentrations of antimony (Sb) in consumer products. In this study, a Niton XL3t field-portable-X-ray fluorescence (FP-XRF) spectrometer was deployed in situ and in the laboratory to provide quantitative information on Sb dissipated in plastic items and fixtures (including rubber, textile and foamed materials) from the domestic, school, vehicular and office settings. The metalloid was detected in 18% of over 800 measurements performed, with concentrations ranging from about 60 to 60,000μgg. The highest concentrations were encountered in white, electronic casings and in association with similar concentrations of Br, consistent with the use of antimony oxides (e.g. SbO) as synergistic flame retardants. Concentrations above 1000μgg, and with or without Br, were also encountered in paints, piping and hosing, adhesives, whiteboards, Christmas decorations, Lego blocks, document carriers, garden furniture, upholstered products and interior panels of private motor vehicles. Lower concentrations of Sb were encountered in a wide variety of items but its presence (without Br) in food tray packaging, single-use drinks bottles, straws and small toys were of greatest concern from a human health perspective. While the latter observations are consistent with the use of antimony compounds as catalysts in the production of polyethylene terephthalate, co-association of Sb and Br in many products not requiring flame retardancy suggests that electronic casings are widely recycled. Further research is required into the mobility of Sb when dissipated in new, recycled and aged polymeric materials.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Field-portable-XRF reveals the ubiquity of antimony in plastic consumer products

Turner

Filella

2017

Science of The Total Environment

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“…The assessment of Sb concentration in PET samples revealed a total content that is in agreement with literature, indicating the effectiveness of XRF in providing the total concentration of Sb in the samples. Jesus et al, (2016) reported Sb concentration values in PET bottles in the range between 194 and 323 mg/kg, analyzed by means of graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) [21], whereas Chapa-Martínez et al (2016) used hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) to detect a Sb concentration ranging between 73 and 111 mg/kg [34]. Takahashi et al, (2008) analyzed 177 PET bottles from China and Japan using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), and Sb concentrations ranged between 10 and 350 mg/kg [22].…”

Section: Antimony Recovery From Petmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimony Mining from PET Bottles and E-Waste Plastic Fractions

et al. 2019

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In this study antimony concentration was analyzed in 30 plastic items (from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and e-waste) directly by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) spectroscopy. PET samples were digested in a microwave oven with aqua regia. The plastic components deriving from e-waste followed three parallel routes: 1. microwave digestion using different acids (aqua regia, 18 M H2SO4, 12 M HCl and 6 M HCl); 2. conversion into ash (at 600 °C) and then microwave digestion with aqua regia, and 3. extraction with 12 M HCl at room temperature for different durations (2 h and 24 h). Results showed that antimony extraction yields from PET were between 57% and 92%. Antimony extraction from e-waste plastics was more challenging: aqua regia was inefficient for poly (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) (ABS) samples (extraction yield was about 20% only), while on a mixture of ABS and polycarbonate (PC), aqua regia, H2SO4 and HCl exhibited equivalent performances (~21%). Ashed samples returned yields ranging from 20% to over 50%. Room temperature extraction on e-waste plastics obtained lower extraction efficiencies, yet longer incubation durations lead to higher yields. In conclusion, the main challenge associated with antimony mining from plastic waste could be its heterogeneous composition; therefore, the development of reference analytical procedures is highly needed.

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“…However, it has been reported that the Sb element, which is a heavy metal, is suspected to be a harmful substance that can cause diseases such as cancer in the human body, and recently, environmental regulations have been strengthened to prevent the use of Sb in clothes, food packaging, and beverages bottles [6]. Therefore, many manufacturers have focused on Sb-free catalysts using non-toxic metals, such as titanium, aluminum, magnesium, germanium, and phosphorus [7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Polycondensation Catalyst on Fiber Structure Development in High-Speed Melt Spinning of Poly (Ethylene Terephthalate)

Kim

et al. 2019

Polymers

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We conducted a preliminary study on fiber structural development in the high-speed melt spinning of environmentally friendly polyethylene terephthalate (Ti-PET) synthesized with 25 ppm of titanium-based catalyst, which was compared with conventional PET (Sb-PET) synthesized with 260 ppm of antimony-based catalyst. Gel permeation chromatography of Ti- and Sb-PET resins of intrinsic viscosity 0.63 confirmed that both resins have similar molecular weights and distributions. However, differential scanning calorimetry revealed that the Ti-PET resin exhibited a lower melt–crystallization peak and isothermal melt-crystallization rate than the Sb-PET resin. High-speed melt spinning of the Ti- and Sb-PET was possible up to a spinning velocity of 6 km/min. Two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction analyses showed that the molecular orientation of the obtained as-spun Ti- and Sb-PET fibers increased with spinning velocity, and a highly oriented, crystalline structure by orientation-induced crystallization started to appear from 5 km/min. Notably, Ti-PET fibers showed a lower degree of crystalline structural development and lower tensile strength compared with Sb-PET fibers under the high-speed spinning conditions. Our results suggest that the catalyst in PET resins can act as nucleating agents in thermal- and orientation-induced crystallization, and that differences in catalyst content can influence PET fiber structure development under extreme conditions in high-speed melt spinning.

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An evaluation of the migration of antimony from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic used for bottled drinking water

Cited by 67 publications

References 35 publications

Field-portable-XRF reveals the ubiquity of antimony in plastic consumer products

Field-portable-XRF reveals the ubiquity of antimony in plastic consumer products

Antimony Mining from PET Bottles and E-Waste Plastic Fractions

Effect of Polycondensation Catalyst on Fiber Structure Development in High-Speed Melt Spinning of Poly (Ethylene Terephthalate)

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