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Wastewater preinteraction accelerates the photoaging of disposable box-derived polystyrene microplastics in water

Water Research 2022 24 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 40 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Peng Liu, Xuetao Guo Ya Zhang, Peng Liu, Zeyuan Yang, Zeyuan Yang, Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Jiamin Dai, Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Jiamin Dai, Peng Liu, Zeyuan Yang, Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Peng Liu, Jiamin Dai, Jiamin Dai, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Jiamin Dai, Jiamin Dai, Peng Liu, Jiamin Dai, Jiamin Dai, Jiamin Dai, Peng Liu, Jiamin Dai, Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Peng Liu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Peng Liu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Zeyuan Yang, Houpu Ren, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Houpu Ren, Jiamin Dai, Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Jiamin Dai, Jiamin Dai, Houpu Ren, Zeyuan Yang, Jiamin Dai, Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Zeyuan Yang, Xuetao Guo Chengzhang Zhu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Peng Liu, Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Lingyan Zhu, Lingyan Zhu, Lingyan Zhu, Lingyan Zhu, Lingyan Zhu, Peng Liu, Peng Liu, Peng Liu, Peng Liu, Zeyuan Yang, Zeyuan Yang, Zeyuan Yang, Ya Zhang, Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Zeyuan Yang, Xuetao Guo Jiamin Dai, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Jiamin Dai, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Peng Liu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Peng Liu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Lingyan Zhu, Lingyan Zhu, Lingyan Zhu, Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo Lingyan Zhu, Xuetao Guo Xuetao Guo

Summary

Researchers found that pre-exposure of polystyrene microplastics to real wastewater significantly accelerated their subsequent photoaging under UV light — doubling oxidation rates — with fulvic acid identified as the primary wastewater constituent driving this enhancement.

Polymers

Study Type Environmental

Before being discharged into natural environment, almost all of microplastics (MPs) interact with wastewater constituents in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study investigated the photoaging of disposable box-derived polystyrene (PS) mediated by real wastewater by simulating the case flowing from WWTPs to natural water. Results showed that wastewater influent pretreatment significantly enhanced the photoaging of PSMPs through the sorption of wastewater constituents, e.g., 2.02 times of increase in photooxidation after 30 d of ultraviolet irradiation. Fulvic acid was identified as the leading contributor for the enhancing effect of wastewater relative to other wastewater constituents such as Cl, CO, NO and clay particles. In-depth mechanism analysis showed that the observed enhancement was critically controlled by the photosensitization effect of wastewater itself and the enhanced utilization of PSMPs for ultraviolet energy. Specifically, various sorbed wastewater constituents can not only generate higher concentrations of •OH and O than clean MPs without constituents, but also reinforce the utilization of PSMPs for light energy due to the increased dispersion in solution by increasing hydrophilicity and surface charges. Also, the light-shielding effect was induced by wastewater, but was less important. This study bridges wastewater source and MP aging and fate and suggests the shortened lifetime of (micro)plastic samples via WWTP input to deepen our understanding of MP pollution in the environment.

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