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Ecological implications of biodegradable and conventional microplastics: Dissolved organic matter bioavailability and microbial response in marine systems

Journal of Hazardous Materials 2025 1 citation ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 53 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Wang-Chao Chu, Wang-Chao Chu, Wang-Chao Chu, Feifei Liu, Wang-Chao Chu, Wang-Chao Chu, Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Yuxin Wu, Feifei Liu, Wang-Chao Chu, Yuxin Wu, Feifei Liu, Yuanyuan Gao Feifei Liu, Haoyu Wang, Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Wang-Chao Chu, Yuxin Wu, Yuxin Wu, Haoyu Wang, Wang-Chao Chu, Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Wang-Chao Chu, Wang-Chao Chu, Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Yuanyuan Gao Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Yuanyuan Gao Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Mengxue Xia, Feifei Liu, Yuanyuan Gao Feifei Liu, Feifei Liu, Yuanyuan Gao

Summary

Researchers compared the dissolved organic matter released by biodegradable and conventional microplastics and assessed its bioavailability to marine microbial communities. They found that biodegradable plastics like PLA released organic matter that was more readily used by microorganisms, which altered microbial community composition. The study suggests that while biodegradable plastics break down faster, their leached compounds may have distinct and potentially significant ecological effects in marine environments.

Polymers

PE PET PLA

The increasing accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in marine environments raises concerns about their ecological impacts, particularly through the release of dissolved organic matter (DOM). However, the bioavailability and ecological effects of MPs-derived DOM (MPs-DOM) remain poorly understood. In this study, we systematically investigated the leaching characteristics and microbial bioavailability of DOM derived from three biodegradable MPs (BMPs) including polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and two conventional MPs (CMPs, PE: polyethylene, PET: polyethylene terephthalate) under simulated photoaging. Our results demonstrated that BMPs released significantly more dissolved organic carbon (DOC) than CMPs, with PBAT showing the highest yield (40.77 vs. PE: 11.63 mg-DOC g-C). Optical analyses revealed that BMPs-DOM contained more protein-like fluorescent components, with higher fluorescence index and biological index, indicating greater lability. BMPs-DOM stimulated microbial growth more efficiently, with PBAT supporting the highest bacterial concentrations (∼52 ×10 cells mL) and DOC utilization (76.39 %). 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that MPs-DOM exposure reduced community richness, reshaped microbial communities through selective enrichment of copiotrophic and plastic-degrading taxa (e.g., Pseudomonas, Bacteroidota), and promoted stochastically driven assembly with specialized functional modules. Our study highlights that while BMPs may alleviate particulate plastic accumulation, their labile DOM release warrants careful evaluation for potential impacts on marine microbial ecology.

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