Study on screening of characteristic pollutants and pollution characteristics in imported regenerated plastic particles

In order to understand the pollution characteristics of pollutants in imported recycled plastic particles, five different types of imported recycled plastic particles were selected. Based on the source and recycling process, the possible types of pollutants were identified. Three characteristic pollutants, namely heavy metals, bisphenol compounds (including tetrabromobisphenol A (BPA) and tetrabromobisphenol S (BPS)), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), were screened out and their pollution characteristics were analyzed. The results showed that six heavy metals, Cr, Mn, Pb, Cd, Cu, and Hg, were detected in the five types of recycled plastic particles, with relatively high concentrations of Cr, Mn, and Pb. The detection rate of BPS reached 100%, and the detection rate of BPA was between 20% and 100%. The mass concentration of BPS in the five recycled plastic particles was greater than that of BPA, which may be related to the use of BPS or other substitutes for BPA in actual production. Most of the detected VOCs, except for dichloromethane, were homologues of benzene. The results could provide basic data support for subsequent recycling work and help relevant departments further regulate the control of imported recycled plastic particles.