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Interactions between methyl octabromo ether flame retardant and expanded polystyrene microplastics in the photoaging process

Chemosphere 2024 4 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 55 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Zhimin Gong, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Zhimin Gong, Xingqi Chen, Linping Shi, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Linping Shi, Yanqi Shi, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Xingqi Chen, Lezhou Zheng, Lezhou Zheng, Xingqi Chen, Hexinyue Huang, Yanqi Shi, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Linping Shi, Zhimin Gong, Lezhou Zheng, Lezhou Zheng, Yanqi Shi, Linping Shi, Zhimin Gong, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Zhimin Gong, Yanqi Shi, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Yanqi Shi, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Zhimin Gong, Lezhou Zheng, Lezhou Zheng, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Xingqi Chen, Lezhou Zheng, Lezhou Zheng, Linping Shi, Hexinyue Huang, Yanqi Shi, Hexinyue Huang, Yanqi Shi, Linping Shi, Kefu Ye, Kefu Ye, Zhimin Gong, Yanqi Shi, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Hexinyue Huang, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Zhimin Gong, Zhimin Gong, Zhimin Gong, Zhimin Gong, Shixiang Gao Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Zhimin Gong, Zhimin Gong, Zhimin Gong, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Shixiang Gao Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Hexinyue Huang, Zhimin Gong, Kefu Ye, Yanqi Shi, Hexinyue Huang, Yanqi Shi, Hexinyue Huang, Kefu Ye, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Shixiang Gao Yanqi Shi, Shixiang Gao Zhimin Gong, Hexinyue Huang, Shixiang Gao Kefu Ye, Shixiang Gao Shixiang Gao Xingqi Chen, Shixiang Gao Shixiang Gao Shixiang Gao Shixiang Gao Zhimin Gong, Shixiang Gao Shixiang Gao Zhimin Gong, Shixiang Gao Yanqi Shi, Yanqi Shi, Shixiang Gao Shixiang Gao Yanqi Shi, Shixiang Gao Shixiang Gao Yanqi Shi, Shixiang Gao Shixiang Gao Shixiang Gao Shixiang Gao

Summary

Researchers studied how a flame retardant chemical called methyl octabromoether affects the breakdown of expanded polystyrene microplastics under simulated sunlight. They found that the flame retardant accelerated the photodegradation of the plastic, causing it to fragment more quickly and release more chemical byproducts. The study suggests that flame retardant additives in plastics may speed up the generation of secondary microplastics in the environment.

Polymers

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) plastic is widely used because of its low density and lightweight properties, enabling it to float on water and increase its exposure to sunlight. In this study, we simulated the photoaging process of flame retardant-added EPS (FR-EPS) and common original EPS (OR-EPS) microplastic (MP) particles with and without methyl octabromoether flame retardant (MOBE) in the laboratory to explore the effect of MOBE on the photodegradation of EPS. Results showed that MOBE accelerated size reduction and surface hole formation on the particles, hastening the shedding and replacement of particle surfaces. FR-EPS particles exhibited a weight loss exceeding that of OR-EPS, reaching 40.85 ± 3.72% after 36 days of irradiation. Moreover, rapid physical peeling of the FR-EPS surface was accompanied by continuous chemical oxidation and fluctuations of the carbonyl index and O/C ratio. A diffusion model based on Fick's second law fitted well for the concentration of MOBE remaining in FR-EPS particles. MOBE's sensitivity to direct photochemical reactions inhibited the early-stage photoaging of EPS MP particles by competing for photons. However, MOBE as chromophores could absorb photons and produce •OH to promote the aging of EPS. Moreover, the capacity of EPS to absorb light energy also accelerated MOBE degradation. These findings suggested that the photoaging behavior of commercial EPS products containing flame retardants in the environment is quite different from that of pure EPS, indicating that additive-plastic interactions significantly alter MP fate and environmental risks.

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