Spectroscopic investigation of the effects of simulated open waste burning on the functional and surface chemistry of commercial polystyrene

Abstract

We studied the spectroscopic changes of polystyrene (PS) plastic used for commercial food packaging after thermal oxidation. Thermal oxidation of plastic in the environment occurs during open waste burning (OWB), urban wildfires, and even the serving of hot food. Environmental thermally oxidized plastics are understudied and display unique functional and surface chemistry compared to plastics exposed to other environmental weathering processes. Near-surface X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) C 1s high resolution analyses show an increase in the intensity of peaks greater than 285 eV, corresponding to C/O bonds after burning of PS at 350 and 425 °C. Bulk analyses using Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) Spectroscopy show that thermal oxidation decreased the alkene (3040–3000 cm⁻¹) and alkane (3000–2850 cm⁻¹) C–H stretch signals, suggesting PS chain scission. Morphology defects and fractures were observed in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, indicating that the degradation of PS can lead to fragmentation after burning. The outcome of this study furthers the understanding of the thermal oxidative degradation mechanisms during incineration of commercial PS materials, which can inform future risk assessments of public and environmental health associated with OWB.