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Breakdown and Modification of Microplastic Beads by Aeolian Abrasion
Summary
Researchers studied how wind-driven saltation, a natural sand transport process, physically breaks down and modifies microplastic beads. They found that simulated wind abrasion reduced microplastic diameter by 30-50% over several hundred hours, with over 95% of the fragments produced being smaller than 10 micrometers. The study demonstrates that aeolian processes can generate large quantities of secondary microplastic fragments small enough to be inhaled, representing a previously underappreciated pathway of microplastic breakdown in the environment.
Saltation is an important wind erosion process that can cause the modification and breakdown of particles by aeolian abrasion. It is recognized that microplastic particles can be transported by wind, but the effect of saltation on microplastic properties is unknown. This study examined the impact of simulated saltation alongside quartz grains on the size, shape, and surface properties of spherical microplastic beads. The diameter of the microplastics was reduced by 30-50% over 240-300 h of abrasion with a mass loss of c. 80%. For abrasion periods up to 200 h, the microplastic beads remained spherical with minimal change to overall shape. Over 95% of the fragments of plastic removed from the surface of the microbeads during the abrasion process had a diameter of ≤10 μm. In addition, during the abrasion process, fine particles derived from breakdown of the quartz grains became attached to the surfaces of the microbeads resulting in a reduction in carbon and an increase in silicon detected on the particle surface. The results suggest that microplastics may be mechanically broken down during aeolian saltation and small fragments produced have the potential for long distance transport as well as being within the size range for human respiration.