Plastics debris

Over the past decade, plastic debris has become a common feature of beaches and coastal waters adjoining populated areas of Europe (36-38), the Mediterranean (39-41), North and Central America (42-44) and New Zealand (45). Plastics are also present in the open ocean both near the major shipping lanes and in the most remote regions of the world (the Arctic (46), the Benguela Current (47), the Cape Basin area of the South Atlantic (48), the Humboldt Current in the South Pacific (49), and the Antarctic (50, 51). 

A large amount of phenols is released in wastewater and can be lost to waste streams. A rapid increase in the distribution and abundance of plastic debris in the ocean around the world was reported, and the adverse influence of plastic s phenol residues has been of great interest Polluted water disinfection, enzymatic oxidation of chlorinated phenols, decomposition of alkylphenol polyethoxylates and combustion of phenols can lead to the formation of highly toxic compounds. High adsorption of phenols on sludge and sediments requires that their distribution in these systems also be followed. All of these facts have promoted extensive research on phenolic compounds and their fate in the environment. 

Plastic debris is widespread throughout the world. It has, for example, become a common feature of beaches and coastal waters close to densely populated regions of the world, such as Europe and North America and it is widespread along major rivers in industrialised nations (for example, see Figure 10.1). More worrying still, it is an increasing problem in the open sea far... 

Derraik, J.G.B. The pollution of the marine environment by plastic debris a review. Marine Pollution Bulletin 2002, 44, 842. 

The noncompliance of these materials with international standards of biodegradability in different environments, the high concern for the increasing presence of plastic debris in the marine environment, even favoured by their tendency to fragment, and their potential negative impact on recyclability of traditional plastics, should prevent this technology from being considered as a preferred industrial option. 

In 1990, about 12 nhllion tons of plastics were produced in Japan, and the production was almost double of the value in 1970. At present, about one himdred million tons of plastics are produced in the world. With increase in production, the amount of plastic wastes has been raised enormously. It is reported that these waste plastics kill many kinds of animals, scar the beautiful scenery, contaminate the coast and disturb the cruise of ships in various environments. In marine environment, especially, one million marine animals are killed every year eilhm by choking on floating plastic items or by becoming entangled in plastic debris. The quantities of the marine debris reaches several hundred thousand tons every year. 

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