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Aged Polystyrene Microplastics Accelerate the Photo-Reduction of Chromium(VI)
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Researchers investigated how aged polystyrene microplastics interact with hexavalent chromium, a toxic heavy metal, in water under light conditions. They found that microplastics accelerate the conversion of toxic chromium(VI) to less harmful chromium(III), while the chromium in turn speeds up the aging of the microplastics. The study reveals a complex interplay between microplastics and heavy metals in aquatic environments that could influence the environmental fate of both pollutants.
Microplastics (MPs) and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) are typical environmental pollutants, yet their interactions in aquatic systems remain poorly understood. This study investigates the mutual influence between Cr(VI) and both virgin and aged polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) under light conditions. Concentration kinetics revealed that the total chromium concentration remained stable across all systems, while Cr(VI) concentrations decreased over time, indicating that PS-MPs accelerate the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). Conversely, it had been found that Cr(VI) promoted the aging of PS-MPs, and this was evidenced by an increase in surface roughness and the generation of oxygen-containing functional groups. Cr(VI) led to a rise in the O/C ratio and carbonyl index, providing additional evidence for the aging of PS. Two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) elucidated that under Cr(VI) exposure, the order of functional group alterations in PS and aged PS exhibited an opposite trend. Additionally, three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy revealed distinct changes in the fluorescence characteristics of leached substances from aged and pristine PS, both with and without Cr(VI), under light and dark conditions. These results furnish innovative understandings of environmental behavior and risks associated with the co-occurrence of MPs and heavy metals, highlighting the complex interplay between Cr(VI) and PS-MPs in aquatic environments.
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Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics can reduce toxic Cr(VI) to less harmful Cr(III) under simulated sunlight, decreasing chromium's aquatic toxicity and revealing an unexpected role of microplastics in contaminant transformation.
Microplastics as an emerging vector of Cr(VI) in water: Correlation of aging properties and adsorption behavior
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Researchers studied the correlation between aging properties and adsorption of hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) onto polyethylene microplastics under accelerated UV aging conditions, finding that aging-induced changes in surface chemistry increased the adsorption capacity. Aged microplastics may act as more effective vectors for toxic heavy metals in aquatic environments.
Aging amplifies synergistic adsorption and reduction of Cr(VI) by polyamide microplastics
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Researchers found that UV and chemical aging of polyamide microplastics amplified their adsorption and reduction of hexavalent chromium Cr(VI), increasing oxygen-containing functional groups while reducing amide bonds, with Cr(VI) binding driven by electrostatic forces and hydrogen bonds and the aged microplastics able to reduce Cr(VI) to less toxic Cr(III) even under UV light and oxygen-depleted conditions.
Adsorption and Desorption Behavior of Cr(VI) on Two Typical UV-Aged Microplastics in Aqueous Solution
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Researchers examined how UV weathering changes the ability of two common microplastic types (polyethylene and polystyrene) to adsorb and release chromium(VI) from contaminated water. UV aging altered surface chemistry and significantly increased adsorption capacity for the toxic heavy metal.
The photo-redox of chromium regulated by microplastics (MPs) and MPs-derived dissolved organic matter (MPs-DOM) and the CO2 emission of MPs-DOM
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Researchers found that microplastics and their derived dissolved organic matter regulate the photo-redox transformation of chromium in wastewater, with UV exposure converting less toxic Cr(III) to more hazardous Cr(VI) while microplastic-derived organic matter influences this process and contributes to CO2 emissions.
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