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Additive release and prediction of biofilm-colonized microplastics in three typical freshwater ecosystems
Summary
Researchers investigated how biofilm colonization on microplastics affects the release of plastic additives in three different freshwater ecosystems. They found that biofilm growth influenced the rate and extent of additive leaching, with the specific microbial communities varying by ecosystem type. The study raises concerns that biofilm-covered microplastics in natural waters may release hazardous chemical additives at different rates than expected from laboratory studies.
Widely used plastics are discarded and broken into microplastics (MPs), threatening the health of plants and animals, and affecting the natural world. The global spread of plastic additives, as unavoidable components in plastic preparation, raises concerns about their leaching in different environments. This paper aims to infer the leaching of hazardous plastic additives (e.g.FP-127 fluorescent additives) by investigating the effect of biofilm communities on the release of additives from plastics after 35 days of incubation in three typical freshwater ecosystems (Hubing Pool, Baogong Park, and Feihe River) in Hefei, China. In this research, we prepared different plastics, crushed them and then put them into natural freshwater we sampled in the laboratory. The results showed that the biofilms attached to the various MPs contained different biomass that were related to water environmental conditions and the properties of MPs. Compared to the natural release in deionized water, the concentration of leaching MPs additives can be 5, 10, and 20 times higher in Hubing Pool, Baogong Park, and Feihe River, respectively. The analysis results also clearly showed that the relative abundance of core communities was proportional to FP-127 additive leaching from the MPs into the surrounding environment. Moreover, we also modeled two equations to predict the release of additives. These findings would be valuable for predicting the potential of MPs to release toxic additives under different freshwater ecosystems.