The majority of plastic objects are produced from a raw material called “plastic pellets” or “plastic nurdles”. Plastic pellets are mainly found in the form of granules (1 - 5 mm) but also exist in the form of flakes or powders. In addition to operational losses that can lead to environmental contamination (estimation of between 52,140 – 184,290 tonnes lost to the environment in the European Union in 2019), accidental and significant losses are possible during their transport on land, river and sea. For example, in June 2021, the sinking of the X-Press Pearl released 11,000 tonnes of plastic pellets into Sri Lankan waters. Unlike oils and chemicals for which good practices and guidelines are available to support decision-making in case of an accidental event, guidelines for the management of accidental spills of plastic pellets into the environment are still in development. In this context, Cedre conducted a review of existing knowledge on plastic pellet pollutions and performed analyses, experiments and equipment testing in its facilities to develop additional knowledge. The review demonstrated that pellets are mainly buoyant exhibiting similarities but also differences from oil in terms of behavior and fate and that several recovery techniques exist, some of which have already been tested during past incidents involving pellets. The review also highlighted several knowledge gaps regarding pellet composition, behavior but also concerning response techniques, confirming the need of further experimental studies. Our chemical analyses demonstrated that plastic pellets constitute a complex pollutant potentially containing a large diversity of chemicals depending on their application. In addition, the behavior assays conducted in Cedre facilities showed that external constraints (wind, current, swell) can rapidly disrupt the floating behavior of low-density polymers making it difficult to detect and observe the spilled pellets in water. The work is being continued by testing equipment (at sea and on the coastline) as past incidents highlighted the challenge of pellets recovery and associated need of fit-for-purpose cleaning techniques.

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