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Rapid Accumulation of Soil Inorganics on Plastics: Implications for Plastic Degradation and Contaminant Fate
Summary
Researchers used synchrotron spectroscopy to characterize inorganic coatings that form on weathered polyethylene in soil environments, finding heterogeneous deposits of iron oxides, aluminosilicates, and carbonates that impair recyclability and enhance the plastic surface's ability to adsorb environmental contaminants.
As plastics degrade in the environment, chemical oxidation of the plastic surface enables inorganics to adsorb and form inorganic coatings, likely through a combination of adsorption of minerals and in situ mineral formation. The presence of inorganic coatings on aged plastics has negative implications for plastics fate, hindering our ability to recycle weathered plastics and increasing the potential for plastics to adsorb contaminants. Inorganic coatings formed on terrestrially weathered polyethylene were characterized using synchrotron spectroscopy and microscopy techniques across spatial scales including optical microscopy, nano-X-ray-fluorescence mapping (nano-XRF), nano-X-ray absorption near edge structure (nano-XANES), and high-energy resolution fluorescence detected-XANES (HERFD-XANES). Results indicate a heterogeneous elemental distribution and speciation which includes inorganics common to soil terrestrial environments including iron oxides and oxyhydroxides, aluminosilicates, and carbonates.