Determination of the Biobased Content in Plastics by Radiocarbon

Abstract

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon analyses were performed on biobased unsaturated polyester resins in order to assess the potential of the method for the determination of the bio-fraction. Different resins were synthesized in the laboratory with different proportions of raw materials of biogenic origin, and analyzed both in the liquid and in the solid form. As a preliminary step of the study, both the biobased and the fossil-derived raw materials were analyzed in order to determine their 14C content. A comparison of the obtained results with the expected ones allowed us to investigate the potential of the 14C method in this field as well as to address some still open issues such as the levels of uncertainty and accuracy as related to the calculation procedures, the correction for isotopic fractionation, and the effect of the presence of volatile components in the analyzed materials.