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Comparison of sulfide-induced transformation of biodegradable and conventional microplastics: Mechanism and environmental fate
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Researchers compared how sulfide chemicals in oxygen-free environments (like deep sediments) transform biodegradable plastics versus conventional plastics. They found that biodegradable PBAT microplastics were more easily changed by sulfides than conventional polyethylene, releasing more dissolved organic carbon and potentially different environmental effects. This suggests that so-called biodegradable plastics may not behave as safely as expected when they break down in certain natural environments.
Biodegradable plastics have been massively produced and used as potential substitutes for conventional plastics, resulting in their inevitable entry into the environment and generation of biodegradable microplastics (MPs). The sulfidation transformation of MPs is an important process for their transformation in anoxic environments (e.g., sediments, anaerobic activated sludges) that can alter their environmental effects and risks. However, how sulfides induce the transformation of biodegradable MPs and whether they are similar to conventional MPs remains unknown. In the present study, we compared the transformation and mechanism of conventional polyethylene (PE) MPs and biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) MPs during sulfidation. The results demonstrated that sulfidation resulted in oxidation of PE MPs, whereas PBAT MPs underwent reduction and had higher physical damage, as evidenced by fragmentation, chain scission and organic compound release. Besides, reactive oxygen species and sulfide species played important roles in the sulfidation of PE and PBAT MPs, respectively. The presence of ester groups in PBAT MPs led to their hydrolysis, causing chain scission and further reduction. Furthermore, sulfidation caused a higher degree of adsorption and toxicity alterations in PBAT MPs than in PE MPs. This work uncovers critical abiotic transformation behaviors of biodegradable microplastics and highlights the necessity of considering microplastic structural features to accurately predict microplastic occurrence.
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Differential effects of sulfide-induced transformation of biodegradable and conventional microplastics on sedimentary CO2 and CH4 emissions: Underlying microbiome-mediated mechanisms
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Microplastics buried in sediments don't just sit inert — they interact with soil microbes in ways that affect how much methane and CO2 the sediment releases into the atmosphere. This incubation study found that fresh biodegradable plastic (PLA) dramatically increased greenhouse gas emissions, but once the plastic had aged through a chemical process called sulfidation, it actually suppressed them — while conventionally aged polyethylene had the opposite effect, boosting methane by stimulating methane-producing microbes. The findings complicate the assumption that biodegradable plastics are automatically better for the environment, and suggest that how plastics age underground matters as much as what they are made of.
Divergent Shifts in Sediment Dissolved Organic Matter Stability and Microbial Carbon Metabolic Potential Induced by Biodegradable and Conventional Microplastics
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"Biodegradable" plastics are often marketed as eco-friendly, but this study found they still disrupt sediment ecosystems, changing the chemistry of organic matter and shifting microbial communities much like conventional plastics do. This matters because these microbial and chemical changes could affect water quality and nutrient cycling, showing that swapping to biodegradable plastics isn't automatically safer for the environment.
Effect of microplastics on sulfate reduction in landfill leachate-saturated zone
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Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics affect sulfate reduction in landfill leachate-saturated zones at varying temperatures. They found that polylactic acid microplastics dramatically increased hydrogen sulfide release compared to polystyrene, polyethylene, and PVC, with cumulative release at 55 degrees Celsius being 33 times higher than at 25 degrees. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics in landfills may paradoxically worsen certain pollution processes by enriching sulfate-reducing microbial communities.
Stable Isotopic and Metagenomic Analyses Reveal Microbial-Mediated Effects of Microplastics on Sulfur Cycling in Coastal Sediments
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This study investigated how microplastics affect sulfur cycling in coastal mangrove sediments, an important process for marine ecosystem health. Biodegradable plastics actually increased sulfur-related bacterial activity more than conventional plastics, suggesting they may have unintended environmental effects. The findings show that microplastic pollution can disrupt fundamental chemical cycles in coastal environments, which could have cascading effects on water quality and the marine food web.
Sulfide induces physical damages and chemical transformation of microplastics via radical oxidation and sulfide addition
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This study found that hydrogen sulfide causes physical fragmentation and chemical transformation of microplastics via radical oxidation and sulfide addition reactions, with implications for how microplastics are altered in anaerobic environments like wastewater treatment systems.
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