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Different Weathering Strategies Result in Different Surface Properties and Adsorption Behavior in Aged Microplastics
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Scientists found that when microplastics break down in the environment, *how* they weather (from sunlight, ozone, or other chemical exposure) changes their surface in different ways—and this affects how well they absorb other pollutants, like a compound related to fuel and pesticide breakdown. This matters because microplastics don't just pollute on their own; depending on how they've aged, they can act like sponges that pick up and carry additional harmful chemicals into our bodies and environment, meaning "aged" plastic isn't a single, predictable risk.
/g for ozone and UV aging. Isotherm experiments with phenanthrene showed a decrease in adsorption with surface oxidation, while, for 9-phenanthrol, adsorption was higher for UV- and ozone-aged MPs than pristine MPs and declined for the highly oxidized persulfate-aged MPs. These results demonstrate that different oxidation strategies produce structurally and functionally distinct MPs, highlighting the importance of the aging protocol in laboratory studies.
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Effects of Weathering on Microplastic Dispersibility and Pollutant Uptake Capacity
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This study examined how environmental weathering changes the surface properties of microplastics and their ability to absorb co-pollutants, finding that weathered MPs bind more contaminants than pristine particles due to surface oxidation and cracking. The results emphasize that the environmental fate and toxicity of microplastics change dynamically as they age in the environment.
Aging of microplastics increases their adsorption affinity towards organic contaminants
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Researchers found that microplastics that have been weathered by sunlight and environmental exposure absorb significantly more chemical pollutants than fresh microplastics, with up to a 4.7-fold increase in adsorption. Ultraviolet exposure changes the surface chemistry of the plastics, making them stickier for contaminants. This matters because most microplastics in nature are weathered, meaning they may be carrying more toxic chemicals into the food chain than laboratory studies using new plastics would suggest.
Weathering effect triggers the sorption enhancement of microplastics against oxybenzone
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Researchers found that weathering in air, seawater, and freshwater makes PET microplastics absorb significantly more oxybenzone, a common sunscreen chemical, than fresh plastic does. Aging creates surface cracks and new chemical groups that increase the plastic's ability to bind pollutants. The study suggests that as microplastics weather in the environment, they become more effective carriers of harmful chemicals.
Mechanistic interpretation of the sorption of terbuthylazine pesticide onto aged microplastics
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Scientists studied how environmental aging changes the ability of polyethylene microplastics to absorb a common pesticide called terbuthylazine. Aged microplastics absorbed less pesticide than fresh ones because weathering made their surfaces less water-repellent and more negatively charged. This matters for understanding real-world risks because it suggests that the ability of microplastics to carry pesticides and other chemicals may change over time as the particles weather in the environment.
Effect of sunlight aging on physicochemical properties and sorption capacities of environmental microplastics: implications for contamination by PAHs
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Researchers studied how sunlight aging changes the physical and chemical properties of three common plastics -- polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene -- and their ability to absorb pollutants. They found that plastics exposed to outdoor sunlight for 69 days absorbed up to 3.5 times more of the carcinogenic compound pyrene compared to new plastics, likely due to surface changes from weathering. The findings suggest that older, weathered microplastics in the environment may accumulate harmful pollutants more readily than fresh plastic particles.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.