Analysis of ultraviolet and thermal degradations of four common microplastics and evidence of nanoparticle release

Hernandez, Laura M.; Grant, Joel; Fard, Parvin Shakeri; Farner, Jeffrey M.; Tufenkji, Nathalie

doi:10.1016/j.hazl.2023.100078

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…However, microplastics released from the rainwater-exposed PEB and PVCB did not exhibit significant growth within 12 months. This is because the smooth and rigid surface of the parent plastic is not conducive to the release of microplastics and does not retain rainwater necessary for plastic photodegradation. Rainwater-exposed plastics also exhibited smaller water contact angles (Figures a and S11), which indicated a stronger hydrophilic and a stronger ability to release organic carbon and microplastics .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neglected but Crucial Role Played by Rainwater in the Photodegradation of Plastic

Duan,

Zheng,

Tam

et al. 2024

ACS EST Water

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Plastic pollution poses a worldwide environmental threat, yet limited attention has been paid to its terrestrial fate. Although rainwater has low photochemical activity, its long-term effect on the photodegradation of plastic waste has predominantly remained unexplored. In this study, poly(vinyl chloride) bags, polypropylene masks, polystyrene foam, and polyethylene bags were exposed to sunlight, with or without rainwater, for 12 months under field conditions. The results revealed that the plastics exposed to rainwater released enormous amounts of organic carbon and severely aged microplastics in the first few months. Rainwaterexposed plastics also exhibited strong oxidation, and rainwater altered the order of functional group changes of commercial plastics (except polystyrene foam), as evidenced by two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) analysis. To provide more direct evidence of the relationship between rainwater exposure and the photodegradation of plastic/microplastic, a laboratory experiment was conducted. The laboratory experiments confirmed the promoting effect of rainwater on photodegradation. Moreover, a stronger signal of reactive oxygen species was detected with an electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer on microplastics exposed to rainwater residues compared with those not exposed to rainwater, which highlights the significance of rainwater as a crucial external source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Overall, these findings provide essential insights into the effect of rainwater on plastic photodegradation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neglected but Crucial Role Played by Rainwater in the Photodegradation of Plastic

Duan,

Zheng,

Tam

et al. 2024

ACS EST Water

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“…While plastic fragmentation when exposed to environmental stressors is well known, the fate of the polyolefin films themselves is poorly described in the literature. 7,8 Nevertheless, it has been estimated that the microplastic loadings in US farmland could be as high as 9 to 63 tonnes per hectare. 9 Moreover, experiments conducted by Scheurer and Bigalke found up to 55.5 mg kg −1 of plastic particles (125–500 μm) in soils in Switzerland 10 whereas Zhang et al found a maximum of 0.54 mg kg −1 of polyethylene particles (>100 μm) in soils tested in China.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weathering of agricultural polyethylene films in cold climate regions: which parameters influence fragmentation?

Rowenczyk,

Jahandideh,

Lin

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci.: Adv.

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“…Plastic breakdown products, micro- and nanoplastics (MPs and NPs), , pose urgent threats to human health, − ecosystem functions, − and global climate. − NPs (size <1 μm) are potentially more harmful than MPs because of their higher extent of environmental transport and exposure to organisms and size-dependent toxicity effects. − NPs are generated from photodegradation, , mechanical fragmentation/abrasion, − and thermal degradation − of bulk plastics. Specifically, mechanical degradation is recognized as a critical mechanism in many scenarios ,− ; however, it remains poorly quantitatively and mechanistically understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanoscale Abrasive Wear of Polyethylene: A Novel Approach To Probe Nanoplastic Release at the Single Asperity Level

Rahman,

BinAhmed,

Keyes

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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There is a growing concern that nanoplastic pollution may pose planetary threats to human and ecosystem health. However, a quantitative and mechanistic understanding of nanoplastic release via nanoscale mechanical degradation of bulk plastics and its interplay with photoweathering remains elusive. We developed a lateral force microscope (LFM)-based nanoscratch method to investigate mechanisms of nanoscale abrasive wear of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) surfaces by a single sand particle (simulated by a 300 nm tip) under environmentally relevant load, sliding motion, and sand size. For virgin LDPE, we found plowing as the dominant wear mechanism (i.e., deformed material pushed around the perimeter of scratch). After UVA-weathering, the wear mechanism of LDPE distinctively shifted to cutting wear (i.e., deformed material detached and pushed to the end of scratch). The shift in the mechanism was quantitatively described by a new parameter, which can be incorporated into calculating the NP release rate. We determined a 10-fold higher wear rate due to UV weathering. We also observed an unexpected resistance to initiate wear for UVaged LDPE, likely due to nanohardness increase induced by UV. For the first time, we report 0.4−4 × 10 −3 μm 3 /μm sliding distance/μN applied load as an initial approximate nanoplastic release rate for LDPE. Our novel findings reveal nanoplastic release mechanisms in the environment, enabling physics-based prediction of the global environmental inventory of nanoplastics.

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Analysis of ultraviolet and thermal degradations of four common microplastics and evidence of nanoparticle release

Cited by 10 publications

References 39 publications

Neglected but Crucial Role Played by Rainwater in the Photodegradation of Plastic

Neglected but Crucial Role Played by Rainwater in the Photodegradation of Plastic

Weathering of agricultural polyethylene films in cold climate regions: which parameters influence fragmentation?

Nanoscale Abrasive Wear of Polyethylene: A Novel Approach To Probe Nanoplastic Release at the Single Asperity Level

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