| Title |
Recycled Plastic Content Quantified through Aggregation-Induced Emission |
| ID_Doc |
27005 |
| Authors |
Schyns, ZOG; Bennett, TM; Shaver, MP |
| Title |
Recycled Plastic Content Quantified through Aggregation-Induced Emission |
| Year |
2022 |
| Published |
Acs Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 10, 38 |
| Abstract |
The linearity of the plastics economy is wasteful and polluting. To encourage recycling and decrease diversion to landfill, new legislation within the EU and UK will tax single-use plastic products made with less than 30% recycled plastic. At present, quantitative determination of recycled content is elusive and existing methods are inconsistent. We present a fluorescence-based analytical technique to determine recycled content in plastic and (single use) packaging. Bathochromic shifts resulting from aggregation of the fluorescent brightener 4,4'-bis(2-benzoxazolyl) stilbene (BBS) in three commodity plastics [high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and poly(ethylene terephthalate)] at loadings <= 0.5 wt % were used to systematically quantify simulated recycled contents as low as 10 wt %. Linear correlations were found between recycled content and three fluorescence-based properties: emission, lifetime, and resulting color. We demonstrate how this multi-branched verification system is completely independent of sample dimensions and processing conditions, has a negligible effect on polymer properties, and is inexpensive and highly compatible with existing recycling infrastructure. |
| PDF |
https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c03389
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