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Environmental factors strongly influence the leaching of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate from polyvinyl chloride microplastics
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Researchers found that environmental conditions like temperature, UV light, salinity, and pH strongly influence how fast the plasticizer DEHP leaches from PVC microplastics into water. Higher temperatures and UV exposure significantly accelerated the release of this endocrine-disrupting chemical. This is important because it means microplastics in warm, sunlit waters may release harmful additives much faster than lab studies under standard conditions would predict.
Phthalic acid esters (phthalates) are an important group of additives (plasticizers) to ensure the flexibility and stability especially of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and to enable its processing. However, phthalates like di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) are harmful for aquatic organisms due to their endocrine disrupting effects and toxicity. For the assessment of exposure concentrations, thorough understanding of leaching kinetics of phthalates from PVC (micro-) plastics into aqueous environments is necessary. This study investigates how environmental factors influence the leaching of phthalates from PVC microplastics into aquatic systems. The leaching of phthalates from PVC microplastics into aqueous media is limited by aqueous boundary layer diffusion (ABLD) and thus, process-specific parameters can be affected by environmental factors such as salinity and the flow conditions. We conducted batch leaching experiments to assess the influence of salinity and flow conditions (turbulence) on the leaching of DEHP from PVC microplastics into aqueous media. DEHP is salted out with increasing salinity of the solution and a salting-out coefficient for DEHP of 0.46 was determined. The partitioning coefficient of DEHP between PVC and water KPVC/W increased with increasing salinity from 108.52 L kg-1 in a 1 mM KCl solution to 108.75 L kg-1 in artificial seawater thereby slowing down leaching. Increasing flow velocities led to higher leaching rates because the ABL thickness decreased from 1315 µm at 0 rpm shaking speed (no-flow conditions) to 38.4 µm at 125 rpm (turbulent conditions). Compared to salinity, turbulence had a more pronounced effect on leaching. Increasing the flow velocity led to a 35-fold decrease in the leaching rate, while increasing salinity led to a 2-fold increase. By calculating specific leaching times, that is, leaching half-lives (t1/2), time frames for leaching in different aquatic systems such as rivers and the ocean were determined. Given ABLD-limited leaching, DEHP is leached faster from PVC microplastics in rivers (t1/2 > 49 years) than in the ocean (t1/2 > 398 years). In both systems, PVC microplastics are a long-term source of phthalates.
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Researchers studied how the plasticizer DEHP leaches out of microplastics under different environmental conditions, finding that smaller particles release more of the chemical due to their greater surface area. Higher temperatures, lower pH, and higher salt concentrations all increased the rate of DEHP release. The study suggests that environmental conditions can significantly influence how much potentially harmful chemical is released from microplastic debris in soil and water.
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Researchers tested how pH and temperature affect the leaching of phthalate plasticizers (DEHP and DBP) from common microplastics including PE, PET, and PVC in simulated seawater. Higher temperatures (45 degrees C vs 25 degrees C) significantly promoted DBP release, while pH effects varied by polymer type.
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This study found that sunlight aging of PVC microplastics accelerates the release of DEHP, a hormone-disrupting plasticizer, by 1.5 times compared to new plastics. The aging process also creates harmful breakdown products like MEHP and phthalic acid that leach into water. Since most microplastics in the environment have been exposed to sunlight, the actual release of toxic chemicals from plastic pollution is likely much higher than estimates based on new plastic suggest.
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Researchers investigated how the plasticizer dibutyl phthalate leaches from PVC microplastics in both freshwater and seawater environments. They found that UV irradiation and water chemistry significantly influenced leaching rates, with higher release observed under simulated environmental conditions. The findings suggest that microplastics in rivers and oceans act as ongoing sources of potentially harmful chemical additives.
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