Ranking environmental degradation trends of plastic marine debris based on physical properties and molecular structure

Abstract

As plastic marine debris continues to accumulate in the oceans, many important questions surround this global dilemma. In particular, how many descriptors would be necessary to model the degradation behavior of ocean plastics or understand if degradation is possible? Here, we report a data-driven approach to elucidate degradation trends of plastic debris by linking abiotic and biotic degradation behavior in seawater with physical properties and molecular structures. The results reveal a hierarchy of predictors to quantify surface erosion as well as combinations of features, like glass transition temperature and hydrophobicity, to classify ocean plastics into fast, medium, and slow degradation categories. Furthermore, to account for weathering and environmental factors, two equations model the influence of seawater temperature and mechanical forces.

Fluorescent plastic nanoparticles to track their interaction and fate in physiological environments

“…This slight increase in particle size is likely the result of the formation of a protein corona around the particles [49] and also accounts for particles forming aggregate clusters. The higher stability of PET particles in both water and cell culture media is likely the result of their lower hydrophobicity (Table S4; Figure S4), particularly when compared to PP, which is in agreement with simulated values reported by Min et al [50]. To obtain more quantitative information about the concentration of the nanoparticle dispersions, a QCM was used.…”

Evolution of biobased and nanotechnology packaging – a review

“…As indicated before, the degradation of plastics in marine environments, is different and there are, at least, three important degradation mechanism for plastics in oceans (Min et al 2020). Firstly, bacteria colonize the surface (depending on the surface energy) of plastics and have a propensity for biofilm formation and this provides an opportunity for biodegradation in the form of mass loss via surface erosion.…”

Latex balloons do not degrade uniformly in freshwater, marine and composting environments

“…Latex balloons did not degrade over 16 weeks, and the small amounts of degradation that were observed were not meaningful. Further studies would benefit from using additional metrics like microscopy 72 to examine and characterize molecular changes 30 , and those data could ultimately aid in creating latex balloons that degrade within acceptable composting guidelines (e.g. 12 weeks) 71 .…”