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The fate of microplastics in the environment: Systematic studies to determine release rates of secondary micro- and nanoplastics and water-soluble organics induced by photolysis and hydrolysis
Summary
Researchers conducted systematic studies on the photolytic and hydrolytic degradation of microplastics using three photolysis protocols and multiple polymer types to determine release rates of secondary micro- and nanoplastics and water-soluble organics, providing mechanistic data needed for environmental fate and risk assessment.
To best inform the risk assessment and fate of microplastics in the environment, it's important to gain a mechanistic understanding of the degradation and fragmentation of released particles. Depending on the environmental compartment, microplastics experience various stressors (i.e., UV, humidity, temperature, enzymatic breakdown) that can lead to polymer aging and consequently fragmentation. Material researchers have analyzed the effects of UV aging on the chemical and mechanical properties of plastics for years but recently microplastics researchers are expanding this knowledge by investigating the fragmentation and release of secondary species especially through photolytic and hydrolytic reactions on polymer aging. The determination of release rates of secondary micro- and nanoplastics, as well as water-soluble organics, is essential to gain a better understanding, but many studies only investigate a single aging protocol and few polymer types. For this reason, we conducted more systematic studies, by testing three photolysis protocols (Kalahari, ISO-4892 with 75 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/550961/document
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