{"title":"Revealing contaminants in China's recycled PET: Enabling safe food contact applications","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107947","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The lack of data on chemical contamination in recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) in food contact applications, impedes the legalization of rPET in food contact applications in China. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of contaminants in hot-washed rPET flakes, identifying 1011 compounds. While most substances were detected infrequently, some i.e., bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons stood out for their relatively high average concentrations. Limonene emerged as the most frequently detected flavorants. Rare genotoxic compounds like safrole and diethyl sulfate were detected at low levels, emphasizing the importance of adopting a conservative evaluation approach. Molecular descriptor analysis guided the proposal of four new surrogates, i.e., dimethyl pentanedioate, 2-tridecanone, bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate, and 2,2-dimethoxy-1,2-diphenylethanone, for challenge tests, aiming to better capture the chemical diversity of rPET contaminants. This research unveils the contamination profile of Chinese rPET and suggests adjustments to evaluation protocols, potentially facilitating its high-value applications and minimizing potential harms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":11.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344924005408","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The lack of data on chemical contamination in recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) in food contact applications, impedes the legalization of rPET in food contact applications in China. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of contaminants in hot-washed rPET flakes, identifying 1011 compounds. While most substances were detected infrequently, some i.e., bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons stood out for their relatively high average concentrations. Limonene emerged as the most frequently detected flavorants. Rare genotoxic compounds like safrole and diethyl sulfate were detected at low levels, emphasizing the importance of adopting a conservative evaluation approach. Molecular descriptor analysis guided the proposal of four new surrogates, i.e., dimethyl pentanedioate, 2-tridecanone, bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate, and 2,2-dimethoxy-1,2-diphenylethanone, for challenge tests, aiming to better capture the chemical diversity of rPET contaminants. This research unveils the contamination profile of Chinese rPET and suggests adjustments to evaluation protocols, potentially facilitating its high-value applications and minimizing potential harms.
期刊介绍:
The journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling welcomes contributions from research, which consider sustainable management and conservation of resources. The journal prioritizes understanding the transformation processes crucial for transitioning toward more sustainable production and consumption systems. It highlights technological, economic, institutional, and policy aspects related to specific resource management practices such as conservation, recycling, and resource substitution, as well as broader strategies like improving resource productivity and restructuring production and consumption patterns.
Contributions may address regional, national, or international scales and can range from individual resources or technologies to entire sectors or systems. Authors are encouraged to explore scientific and methodological issues alongside practical, environmental, and economic implications. However, manuscripts focusing solely on laboratory experiments without discussing their broader implications will not be considered for publication in the journal.