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Effects of Environmental Aging Pathways on the Formation, Composition and Settling Behavior of Microplastic–Oil Agglomerates
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Lab tests exposed two plastic types to acid, UV light, or both, then mixed them with crude oil to see how aging affects clumping. Different aging methods changed the plastic surfaces in different ways, affecting how much oil stuck to the plastic clumps, their size, and how fast they sank.
Marine oil spills and microplastic (MP) pollution frequently coexist, but the effects of microplastic aging on microplastic–oil agglomerates’ (MOAs) formation and transport remain poorly resolved. In this study, polybutylene terephthalate and polyvinyl chloride microplastics were subjected to acid, UV, and sequential UV→Acid aging and then interacted with three crude oils under controlled mixing conditions. Surface properties were related to oil dispersion efficiency, MOA size, composition, and settling behavior. Aging generated pathway-specific surface states rather than a single monotonic weathering trend. Acid aging increased negative surface charge and wettability, coinciding with reduced oil capture and smaller MP-enriched aggregates. UV aging caused surface roughening and was associated with larger, more MP-rich aggregates, consistent with a greater contribution of MP-MP contacts despite reduced hydrophobic affinity. Sequential UV→Acid aging combined more negative charge, increased roughness and elevated surface free energy. These MPs formed large, MP-rich MOAs with relatively high settling velocities despite reduced oil affinity. Aggregate size became decoupled from captured oil mass after aging, while relatively high oil dispersion could coexist with rapid MOA settling. These findings indicate the potential for partial separation of petroleum-hydrocarbon and MP transport and highlight the importance of aging pathway, polymer chemistry, and aggregate composition.
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Aged microplastics with oxidized surfaces affected oil behavior in shoreline environments by altering oil spreading, incorporation of plastic into oil-sediment aggregates, and oil sinking dynamics, with the degree of MP aging determining whether the interaction increased or decreased oil persistence in beach sediments after a simulated spill.
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This study found that UV photoaging of nanoplastics changes their surface chemistry and causes them to release organic compounds, but the downstream effect on how particles clump together (aggregation) differs markedly depending on what chemical groups are on the particle surface. This matters because aggregation behaviour controls whether nanoplastics sink or stay suspended in water, affecting which organisms are exposed and how far the particles travel.
Laboratory simulation of microplastics weathering and its adsorption behaviors in an aqueous environment: A systematic review
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