Microplastics from Plastic Waste as a Limitation of Sustainability of the Environment

Abstract

The massive emergence of plastics has contributed to their widespread use in everyday life. Unfortunately, the lack of appropriate technologies for processing these materials has contributed to environmental pollution by plastic particles. This study investigated the possibility of obtaining nanoparticles from selected plastics such as polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate. Polyethylene was obtained from plastic bag waste, and polyethylene terephthalate was from crushed plastic bottles of mineral water. The first stage of nanoparticle production was to grind the collected used plastic waste, i.e., plastic bags and plastic bottles, to the smallest possible size using a cutting mill. Next, the waste was ground in a planetary-ball mill and then homogenised in a homogeniser. The particle size distribution of the obtained particles for selected waste plastics was examined using the Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) method. The objective of the work was achieved – as a result of the performed procedures, nanoparticles of waste plastics were obtained. The following average sizes for particular materials were obtained: plastic bottles (PET) 212.81 nm, plastic bags (PE) 208.14 nm, and smaller particles, e.g. 27.74 nm.