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Hybrid mechanism of microplastics degradation via biological and chemical process during composting
Summary
Researchers explored how composting can degrade microplastics through combined biological and chemical processes. They found that pre-aged microplastics broke down about three times faster than non-aged ones during composting, with microorganisms and chemical oxidation working together to accelerate degradation. The study suggests that composting may offer a practical approach for reducing microplastic contamination in organic waste streams.
Little is known about the synergistic effects of abiotic aging and biodegradation on microplastics (MPs) transformation in the environment. Herein, a hybrid process of MPs degradation was proposed by analyzing the effect of microorganisms and abiotic aging on aging MPs and non-aging MPs degradation during composting. The results showed that composting facilitated the oxidation and depolymerization of aging MPs, and its degradation efficiency was about three times that of non-aging MPs. Further investigation revealed that aging MPs contained higher abundance of plastic-degrading bacteria and enzyme activity than non-aging MPs. In addition, free radicals also influenced the degradation of MPs. However, path model and shielding experiments confirmed that free radicals mainly facilitated the non-aging MPs degradation (contribution was 68.8 %), while aging MPs was easily degraded by microorganisms (contribution was 72.6 %). This study provides promising strategies for scaling up plastic treatment in bioreactors through a hybrid collaboration of biological and abiotic processes.