Tamal Hossain

Plastic Bags in Compost: Comparative Additive Profiles in Compost-Derived Fragments versus Fresh Bags

This research examines the quantitative profiles of plastic additives in commercial polyethylene (PE) and biodegradable plastic bags by comparing fresh single-use plastic bags from five countries (Germany, Italy, Japan, Bangladesh, and United States) with aged plastic fragments from an industrial composting plant.

In phase 1, the polymer types of plastic bags and fragments will be determined using Micro-Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (µFTIR/ATR). In phase 2, plasticizers, e.g. phthalates (PAEs), acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC), and di-n-butyl sebacate (DBS), will be extracted and analyzed in GC/MS.

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Moritz Bigalke & Dr.-Ing. Kaori Sakaguchi-Söder