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The (partial) replacement of synthetic polymers with bioplastics is due to increased production of conventional packaging plastics causing for severe environmental pollution with plastics waste. The bioplastics, however, represent complex mixtures of known and unknown (bio)polymers, fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers, flame retardant, pigments, antioxidants, hydrophobic polymers such as poly(lactic acid), polyethylene, polyesters, glycol, or poly(butylene succinate), and little is known of their chemical safety for both the environment and the human health. Polymerization reactions of bioplastics can produce no intentionally added chemicals to the bulk material, which could be toxic, as well. When polymers are used to food packing, then the latter chemicals could also migrate from the polymer to food. This fact compromises the safety for consumers, as well. The scarce data on chemical safety of bioplastics makes a gap in knowledge of their toxicity to humans and environment. Thus, development of exact analytical protocols for determining chemicals of bioplastics in environmental and food samples as well as packing polymers can only provide warrant for reliable conclusive evidence of their safety for both the human health and the environment. The task is compulsory according to legislation Directives valid to environmental protection, food control, and assessment of the risk to human health. The quantitative and structural determination of analytes is primary research task of analysis of polymers. The methods of mass spectrometry are fruitfully used for these purposes. Methodological development of exact analytical mass spectrometric tools for reliable structural analysis of bioplastics only guarantees their safety, efficacy, and quality to both humans and environment. This study, first, highlights innovative stochastic dynamics equations processing exactly mass spectrometric measurands and, thus, producing exact analyte quantification and 3D molecular and electronic structural analyses. There are determined synthetic polymers such as poly(ethylenglycol), poly(propylene glycol), and polyisoprene as well as biopolymers in bags for foodstuffs made from renewable cellulose and starch, and containing, in total within the 20,416–17,495 chemicals per sample of the composite biopolymers. Advantages of complementary employment in mass spectrometric methods and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is highlighted. The study utilizes ultra-high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometric and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic data on biodegradable plastics bags for foodstuffs; high accuracy quantum chemical static methods, molecular dynamics; and chemometrics. There is achieved method performance |r| = 0.99981 determining poly(propylene glycol) in bag for foodstuff containing 20,416 species and using stochastic dynamics mass spectrometric formulas. The results highlight their great capability and applicability to the analytical science as well as relevance to both the fundamental research and to the industry.
The problem of small-scale marine oil spills discharged by unattributable vessels: A review
Vol 6, Issue 1, 2025
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Abstract
Oil pollution is one of the most conspicuous forms of damage to the marine environment. It can be divided into two categories: large-scale and small-scale spills. Considerable research has been conducted on large-scale spills, including investigations into the damage caused, the methods of remediation employed, the compensation paid, and the reasons for a sharp decrease in the number of major oil spills during the last 20 years. However, very little attention has been paid to small-scale spills, leaving largely unresearched the reasons for their continued occurrence, the damage they cause, and the lack of compensation paid out for them. Because the number of large-scale marine oil spills has greatly reduced in recent years, there may be a perception that the problem of marine oil spills has been broadly brought under control. However, this would be to ignore the issue of small-scale spills, which have not decreased and are causing severe problems in coastal areas. The perpetrators of these small-scale spills are very difficult to identify, so they invariably escape detection and thereby avoid having to pay for the clean-up and damages costs caused by their actions. The main aim of this review paper is to draw attention to the lack of research into this unsatisfactory situation. The paper describes the scale and type of damage caused by small-scale spills; analyzes the problem of identifying unattributable polluters; considers ways of remediating oil spills; and evaluates current procedures for obtaining compensation for clean-up operations. Given the escalating frequency of these small-scale spills and their profound impact on marine ecosystems and vulnerable communities, it is imperative that researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders prioritize the development of effective strategies to address this pressing issue. The time to act is now, as the health of our coastlines and the livelihoods of countless individuals depend on our ability to confront the challenges posed by small-scale oil spills.
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Beijing University of Technology, China
