Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41977540›Full record

ArticlePolymers2026

Thermal Desorption Used to Characterize Volatile Organic Compounds of Recycled Plastics.

Sandra Czaker, Joerg Fischer

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Polymers, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Sandra CzakerInstitute of Polymeric Materials and Testing, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstraße 69, 4040 Linz, Austria.ORCID 0009-0005-3171-8386
Joerg FischerInstitute of Polymeric Materials and Testing, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstraße 69, 4040 Linz, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-1047-3085

Funding

Austrian Research Promotion Agency 889843Austrian Research Promotion Agency 897754
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

About 10% of plastic products are recycled worldwide, highlighting the need for technology improvements based on deeper material understanding. In packaging, which holds the highest market share in plastics demand, odor and potential hazards remain critical barriers to high-quality recycling. Conventional characterization relies on chromatography with extensive sample preparation. A gas chromatography system equipped with thermal desorption and dual flame ionization and mass spectrometric detection (ATD-GC/FID-MS) was established to analyze recyclates directly, thereby accelerating technology adaptation and guiding follow-up analyses. For calibration and validation, liquid standards were introduced into TenaxTA-filled tubes via a packed column injector and compared to a loading rig. The injector exhibited losses for higher-molar-mass compounds and solvent-dependent signal shifts. A storage study on compounded recycled polypropylene stored under various conditions showed that samples not frozen in sealed containers should be analyzed within 30 days. Experiments with varying sample geometries demonstrated that higher surface-to-volume ratios increase volatile release and variability in results, highlighting the need for uniform shapes. Applying the method to recycled yogurt cups enables the identification and quantification of contaminants, facilitating optimization of the washing process. Overall, ATD-GC/FID-MS provides a rapid screening tool for recyclate quality control and supports the improvement of recycling technologies.

Indexed as

chromatographycontaminantsplastics recyclingpost-consumer materialthermal desorptionvolatile organic compounds

Identifiers

PMID41977540
PMCPMC13074916

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.