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Characteristics and adsorption behavior of typical microplastics in long-term accelerated weathering simulation
Summary
Researchers tested how weathering from sunlight changes the ability of common microplastics to absorb pollutants like dyes and antibiotics. They found that weathered microplastics absorbed significantly more contaminants than fresh ones, and that biodegradable plastic (PBAT) absorbed up to 10 times more pollutants than traditional polyethylene after aging. This means microplastics in the environment, especially degradable types, may be carrying higher loads of harmful chemicals than expected, increasing the risk when they enter the food chain or water supply.
Microplastics can function as carriers in the environment, absorbing various toxins and spreading to diverse ecosystems. Toxins accumulated in microplastics have the potential to be re-released, posing a threat. In this study, two typical plastics, namely polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS), along with the degradable plastic poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), were subjected to a long-term ultraviolet alternating weathering experiment. The study investigated the variations in the weathering process and pollutant adsorption of microplastics of different particle sizes. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity of microplastics for various pollutants was assessed. The findings indicate that particle size significantly influences weathering, leading to variations in adsorption capacity. The weathered PE displays a higher adsorption capacity for azo dyes. Additionally, the adsorption capacity of PBAT for neutral red is double that of antibiotics. Importantly, the maximum adsorption capacity of PBAT for pollutants after aging is approximately 10 times greater than that of PE. Consequently, degradable plastics undergoing weathering in the natural environment may pose a higher ecological risk than traditional plastics.
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