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The role of gamma-irradiated microplastics in terbuthylazine sorption and desorption processes in contaminated soils
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Researchers investigated how gamma-irradiated polyethylene microplastics influence the sorption and desorption of the herbicide terbuthylazine in contaminated agricultural soils. The study found that irradiation-induced aging of microplastics altered their surface properties in ways that affected herbicide binding and release dynamics, with implications for pesticide fate in plastic-contaminated soils.
Microplastics (MPs) presence in agricultural soils has raised concerns regarding their interactions with herbicides. This study investigated how gamma-irradiated polyethylene MPs affect the sorption and desorption processes of the herbicide terbuthylazine (TBT) in contaminated soils. Soils were amended with 10 % (w w-1) MPs irradiated at six gamma doses (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10 kGy) and treated with five TBT application rates (1.4, 2.8, 4.2, 5.6, and 7.0 kg a.i. ha-1), in addition to a treatment without MPs (control; unamended soil). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to characterize the MPs before and after irradiation. SEM analyses showed that gamma irradiation progressively enhanced the surface roughness, cracking, and porosity of the MPs. FTIR results confirmed the parallel dose-dependence in carbonyl groups, with the carbonyl index increasing from 0.07 to 0.20 (0.0-10 kGy), demonstrating substantial oxidation of the polymer. Batch equilibrium assays were performed, and TBT concentrations were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Sorption and desorption data fitted Linear and Freundlich isotherms, with sorption Linear (Kd) and Freundlich coefficients (Kf) ranging from 0.59 to 1.32 L kg-1 and 0.43-1.51 mg(1-1/n) L1/n Kg-1, respectively. All irradiation doses increased TBT sorption compared to unamended soil, with MPs exposed to 10 kGy enhancing retention by 13.68 % relative to the control soil and increasing Kd and Kf values. Conversely, desorption remained consistently low (∼5 %) across all treatments, indicating strong retention of TBT in the soil-MPs matrix. These findings highlight the impact of gamma-irradiated MPs on TBT's environmental dynamics, potentially reducing their bioavailability and effectiveness while increasing persistence in the environment.
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Researchers investigated how accelerated weathering — using UV irradiation, hydrogen peroxide, and ultrasonic treatment — alters the surface properties of polyethylene microplastics and affects their sorption of the herbicide terbuthylazine. Aged polyethylene particles showed measurably different sorption kinetics and capacities compared to pristine particles, providing mechanistic insight into how environmental aging changes microplastic interactions with organic pollutants like pesticides.
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Scientists studied how environmental aging changes the ability of polyethylene microplastics to absorb a common pesticide called terbuthylazine. Aged microplastics absorbed less pesticide than fresh ones because weathering made their surfaces less water-repellent and more negatively charged. This matters for understanding real-world risks because it suggests that the ability of microplastics to carry pesticides and other chemicals may change over time as the particles weather in the environment.
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