We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Erosion of rigid plastics in turbid (sandy) water: quantitative assessment for marine environments and formation of microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers quantified the erosion rate of rigid plastic materials by water-borne sand under conditions representing turbid rivers and coastal oceans. Polypropylene showed the highest erosion response at a surface degradation rate of 5,160 um per year, demonstrating that mechanical erosion by suspended sediments is a significant source of microplastic generation in aquatic environments.
Mechanical degradation (erosion) of plastics in the marine environment has been reported in many literature studies but without quantitative information. This type of degradation is crucial as it accounts for most of the initial microplastic products, in marine environments (e.g., rivers and oceans). Here, we quantify the erosion of plastics by water-borne sediments under typical perpendicular water velocities and sand loads of turbid rivers and coastal oceans. Polypropylene (PP) shows the highest response to water-borne erosion, with a surface degradation rate of 5160 μm per year (4.44 mg per mm2 per year), compared with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with a degradation rate of 1874 μm per year (1.79 mg per mm2 per year), resulting in the formation of microplastics (MPs). The rate of formation of such microplastic particles (>10 μm), as characterised by a laser direct infrared (LDIR) chemical imaging system, amounts to 669 particles per mm2 per year for PP and 187 particles per mm2 per year for HDPE, exhibiting average particle sizes of 60 μm and 23 μm in the same order. Furthermore, surface microscopy provided valuable insights into the dominant erosion mechanisms, revealing three distinct zones and the surface features reveal the brittle erosion behaviours. These results will enable a better assessment of degradation and lifetime prediction of plastics in turbid rivers and coastal oceans, allowing precise estimation of the rate of formation of MPs.
More Papers Like This
Simulated experimental investigation of microplastic weathering in marine environment
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers simulated microplastic weathering under marine conditions, finding that exposure to UV light, saltwater, and mechanical abrasion progressively degraded plastic surfaces, increased surface roughness, and enhanced the adsorption capacity of contaminants onto microplastic particles.
Aging simulation of thin-film plastics in different environments to examine the formation of microplastic
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers aged polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene thin films under land, freshwater, estuarine, and oceanic conditions, finding that UV radiation was the primary driver of surface degradation and microplastic formation, with degradation rates varying substantially by environmental medium.
Controls on microplastic breakdown due to abrasion in gravel bed rivers
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated the physical controls on microplastic fragmentation due to mechanical abrasion in gravel-bed rivers, examining how particle size, morphology, polymer type, and weathering state influence breakdown rates and the resulting changes in surface properties that alter risk profiles during fluvial transport.
The effects of sediment properties on the aeolian abrasion and surface characteristics of microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Laboratory experiments quantified how sediment properties influence the rate at which wind abrades and fragments exposed microplastics, generating smaller particles. The results improve understanding of aeolian (wind-driven) microplastic fragmentation as a source of airborne micro- and nanoplastics in arid environments.
From macroplastic to microplastic: Degradation of high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene in a salt marsh habitat
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers subjected high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and other plastics to simulated environmental degradation and tracked their fragmentation from macro- to microplastic sizes, characterizing surface changes and particle generation rates.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.