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The molecular level degradation state of drift plastics in the Sea of Japan coastline
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Researchers analyzed the molecular-level weathering state of polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics that had drifted onto Japan's Sea of Japan coastline, finding carbonyl group formation in both polymers but noting that PET bottles weather non-uniformly — with bottle necks showing greater crystallization than bottle bodies.
Polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are among the most abundant plastics polluting the oceans. However, their environmental fate depends on how they have been weathered. Due to its unique geography, the Sea of Japan is a pollution hotspot where plastics accumulate. In this study, the structures of plastics, having drifted into the Sea of Japan coastline environment, were analyzed with a particular focus on examining polymer crystallization and carbonyl formation; two factors which influence microplastic formation and the adsorption of contaminants onto plastic surfaces. PE in the coastal environment did not show evidence of crystallization, although carbonyl formation did increase. By contrast, PET bottles were shown to not be uniform in structure, with unaged bottles being less crystalline in the neck component compared to the body. Because of this difference, in environmental PET bottles, it was the bottle neck that showed increases in crystallization and carbonyl group formation.
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Researchers evaluated the carbonyl index of nearly 3,000 polyethylene and polypropylene microplastic particles collected from coastal waters around Japan. The study found that the degree of weathering, as measured by the carbonyl index, varied by geographic location but showed no significant differences based on particle color or shape, providing insight into how microplastics degrade in marine environments.
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Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in surface seawater along the southeastern coast of Japan, from Okinawa to the Tokai region. They found relatively low but measurable levels of microplastics at most stations, with higher concentrations near a coastal channel, and noted that many particles showed signs of environmental weathering. The study contributes baseline data on microplastic pollution in a major ocean current system in the Northwestern Pacific.
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