Synthetic polymers, commonly known as plastics, have been entering the marine environment in quantities paralleling their level of production over the last half century. However, in the last two decades of the 20th Century, the deposition rate accelerated past the rate of production, and plastics are now one of the most common and persistent pollutants in ocean waters and beaches worldwide. Thi...

This review discusses the mechanisms of generation and potential impacts of microplastics in the ocean environment. Weathering degradation of plastics on the beaches results in their surface embrittlement and microcracking, yielding microparticles that are carried into water by wind or wave action. Unlike inorganic fines present in sea water, microplastics concentrate persistent organic polluta...

ith more than 8 million tons of plastic entering the ocean each year, humanity must urgently rethink the way we make and use plastics, so that they do not become waste in the first place. Cheap, light, and versatile, plastics are the dominant materials of our modern economy. Their production is expected to double over the next two decades. Yet, only 14% of all plastic packaging is collected for...

The attachment of a marine Pseudomonas sp. to a variety of surfaces was investigated, and the number of bacteria which became attached was related to the surface charge and degree of hydrophobicity of the substratum. Large numbers of bacteria attached to hydrophobic plastics with little or no surface charge [Teflon, polyethylene, polystyrene, poly(ethylene terephthalate)]; moderate numbers atta...

Results Of the 2606 trauma calls in 2013, 416 patients required surgical intervention. 29.3% of these patients (n = 122) were operated on by plastics (either as sole operating team or part of multi-specialty team). 76.2% (n = 93) involved lower limb trauma and 30.3% (n = 37) upper limb trauma. Emergency general extremity referrals increased from an average of 65/year to 484/year in the period 2...

One of the major environmental threats is the least rate of degradation or non biodegradability of the organic materials under natural condition, e.g. plastics. The plastics of various forms such as nylon, polycarbonate, polyethylene-terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polytetraflouroethylene, polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride (Usha et al., 2011) are being continuously us...

The carbonization of coal to produce metallurgical coke is an alternative route for the feedstock recycling of plastic wastes of different structures and origins. Individual plastics or mixed plastics of domestic origin can be incorporated into typical coking blends as secondary raw materials. The effects of the composition of the plastic wastes on the thermoplastic properties of coal, coking p...

it seems that today whole world seems to be wrapped in plastics. almost every product we buy, most of the food we eat and many of the liquids we drink, come encased in plastics. the environmental impact of persistent plastic wastes is evoking more global concern as alternative disposal methods are limited. incineration may generate toxic air pollution, and satisfactory landfill sites are limite...

It is commonly agreed in the current legislative and scientific discourse that plastics recycling rates should be increased. Many studies are dedicated towards this, but often they focus on post-household plastic waste. Non-household end-use seems to forgotten data gathering, policy making research, have promising potential for high quality recycling. In this manuscript we bring together most r...