AGING AND DEGRADATION PHENOMENA INDUCED BY MARINE EN- VIRONMENT ON COMMERCIAL PLASTICS: AN IN-SITU EXPERIMENT

A new approach for studying the aging and degradation of commercial plastics in marine environments through an in-situ experiment is presented. Two experimental setups specifically designed for long-term monitoring of the behaviour of plastic granules (HDPE, PP, PLA and PBAT) are used. The results of the first six months of a three-year monitoring campaign are presented. The physico-chemical modifications that eventually occur in marine conditions (both in seawater and in sandy coastal conditions) on the granules before and after exposure to natural elements are described. Changes in colour, surface morphology, chemical composition, thermal properties, molecular weight and polydispersity, showed the diferences in influences of environmental conditions.