Microplastic label in microencapsulation field – Consequence of shell material selection
Plastics make our lives easier in many ways; however, if they are not appropriately disposed of or recycled, they may end up in the environment where they stay for centuries and degrade into smaller and smaller pieces, called microplastics. Each year, approximately 42000 tonnes of microplastics end...
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Published in | Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 465; p. 133000 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Netherlands
Elsevier B.V
05.03.2024
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Plastics make our lives easier in many ways; however, if they are not appropriately disposed of or recycled, they may end up in the environment where they stay for centuries and degrade into smaller and smaller pieces, called microplastics. Each year, approximately 42000 tonnes of microplastics end up in the environment when products containing them are used. According to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) one of the significant sources of microplastics are microcapsules formulated in home care and consumer care products. As part of the EU's plastics strategy, ECHA has proposed new regulations to ban intentionally added microplastics starting from 2022. It means that the current cross-linked microcapsules widely applied in consumer goods must be transformed into biodegradable shell capsules. The aim of this review is to provide the readers with a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of recent developments in the art of microencapsulation. Thus, considering the chemical structure of the capsule shell’s materials, we discuss whether microcapsules should also be categorized as microplastic and therefore, feared and avoided or whether they should be used despite the persisting concern.
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•Microplastics are responsible for the transfer of pollutants into the ecosystem.•Responsible shell material selection is crucial for addressing microplastic concerns.•Biodegradable materials show potential but face cost-performance challenges.•Recent regulations, like bans on microplastics, impact microcapsule usage. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1 |
ISSN: | 0304-3894 1873-3336 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133000 |