The effects of the water environment on plastic bag degradation.

Plastic is one of the most common materials in modern society. However, improper plastic management and disposal practices cause serious environmental pollution. Microplastics that pollute the environment, particularly the marine environment, are currently issues of global concern related to plastic waste. Microplastics can come from a variety of sources due to degradation. This study examined into how plastic degrades in river and sea water, specifically polyethylene plastic bags, which are commonly found in the environment as plastic packaging. The effects of two different water environments (river water and sea water) were examined for three months using immersion simulations without light, using three types of plastic bags (degradable and two types of recycled). In this study, characterization was carried out using FTIR analysis, material decomposition analysis, tensile strength measurement, and morphology analysis. After 3 months of immersion, the FTIR spectra of recycled plastic bag brand A and degradable plastic bag show changes in the intensity of amorphous regions, but peaks of amorphous regions in FTIR spectra of recycled plastic bag brand B could not be seen. Generally, tensile strength decreased for all three plastics, with recycled plastic bag brand A showing the greatest decrease when compared to other types of plastic bags. Furthermore, the surface morphology of all plastic bags shows degradation in the form of crazing and the addition of roughness to the surface. Among the two types of immersion water, seawater had a greater impact on the degradation of three types of plastic bags. This study found that water, particularly sea water, has an impact on the chemical, morphology and mechanical performance of polyethylene plastic bags, particularly recycled types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]