Calculation and Experimental Validation of a Novel Approach Using Solubility Parameters as Indicators for the...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Polymer Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Accurate quantification of chemical additives in plastics is crucial for environmental safety and risk assessment.
• Many additives have adverse health effects, necessitating reliable analytical methods.
• Existing methods may lack efficiency or broad applicability for diverse plastic matrices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel approach for extracting and quantifying chemical additives in plastics using solubility parameters.
• To establish a predictive model correlating solvent solubility parameters with additive extraction efficiency.
• To demonstrate the practicability of the method for analyzing various plastic products and additives.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 10 organic solvents with varying solubility parameters to extract decabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209) from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
• Employed certified reference materials (CRMs) as matrix materials for method validation.
• Developed a quadratic function model relating extracted additive amounts to solvent solubility parameters.

Main Results:

• The developed approach successfully extracted BDE-209, with optimal solvent solubility parameters closely matching those of the plastics (Δδ < 0.37).
• Solvents like toluene, n-hexane, and acetone showed high extraction efficiency for PE, PP, and PET.
• The method was validated for other additives (penta-/octa-BDE, phthalate esters) in PET and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and applied to 15 commercial plastic products.

Conclusions:

• The solubility parameter-based approach provides a feasible and practical method for quantifying chemical additives in diverse plastic matrices.
• This method enhances the accuracy and efficiency of environmental safety and risk assessments of plastic products.
• The findings support the broader application of this technique in routine field sample analysis.