Mechanical and chemical analysis of degraded plastic bags exposed in air, water, and soil

This study is aimed at analyzing the mechanical behavior of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bags exposed for three years to air, immersed in polluted and tap water, buried in soil, and exposed on the soil surface. The pH and conductivity analyses for polluted water resources, clean water and soil extract were performed. Semi-quantitative chemical analysis of soil using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) was performed. For the mechanical assay, a 100 kN load cell was used subjected to a traction with obtaining strain curve x deformation. The aqueous soil extract is rich mainly in nitrate, sulfate, and calcium. The polluted water in which the bags were immersed had a high concentration of chlorides, and contained nitrate, sodium, and calcium. Finally, tap water contained mostly sulfate, sodium, calcium, and chloride ions. However, the chloride content of polluted water is ten times the content of tap water. The tensile strength and elongation of degraded samples are lower than the reference, confirming the process of degradation. An exception was the deformation of plastic bag buried in soil which was the highest.