Zooming on light packaging waste differences by scanning electron microscopy
- 19 April 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Environmental Science and Pollution Research
- Vol. 28 (42), 59076-59082
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08414-y
Abstract
In the present paper, different types of pure and commercial plastic waste from different EU countries (UK, France, Italy, and Romania) were investigated for microstructure surface morphology and chemical properties by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). The goal of the current investigation was to determine the chemical composition of selected packaging materials and compare these measurements with data obtained through a carbon-hydrogen-nitrogen-sulfur-oxygen (CHNS-O) elemental analyzer, which is conventionally used to characterize waste materials. The capabilities of the experimental approach are discussed in connection with their application to the study of waste sample materials and in comparison with alternative experimental methods such as elemental analysis. The CHNS-O comparison is made between the present data obtained with SEM-EDXS instrument and EA 3000 elemental analyzer used in previews studies conducted by the authors. Results show a difference of composition among packaging from different countries that can affect the treatment adopted for its valorization and the strategies of circular economy.This publication has 37 references indexed in Scilit:
- Management of atmospheric pollutants from waste incineration processes: the case of BozenWaste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy, 2013
- Packaging Design: General Framework and Research AgendaPackaging Technology and Science, 2012
- Alteration of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash focusing on the evolution of iron-rich constituentsWaste Management, 2011
- Study on Preparation and Properties of Nano-Modified PolypropyleneAdvanced Materials Research, 2010
- Determination of sulfur content of diesel fuels and diesel fuel-like fractions of waste polymer crackingTalanta, 2006
- Characterization of aluminized polyethylene blends via mechanical recyclingMaterials Science and Engineering: A, 2005
- Effects of waste PET bottles aggregate on the properties of concreteCement and Concrete Research, 2005
- Elasto-plastic and visco-elastic deformations of a polymer sphere measured using colloid probe and scanning electron microscopyInternational Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, 2000
- Beam damage of polypropylene in the environmental scanning electron microscope: an FTIR studyJournal of Microscopy, 1998
- Scanning force microscopy of poly(ethylene terephthalate) surfaces: comparison of SEM with SFM topographical, lateral force and force modulation dataPolymer, 1997