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Preparation method of marine microplastic model in a short degradation time
Summary
Researchers developed a laboratory method to produce marine microplastic model particles with surface oxidation (O/C ratios) matching those recovered from the sea, using an advanced oxidation process on polypropylene. The method substantially shortens the time needed to create environmentally representative microplastic reference materials for experimental research.
Abstract To establish a marine microplastic (MP) model, the sizes and O/C molar ratios of MP particles retrieved from the sea were measured using scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) analysis. Most of the MP particles exhibit a diameter of <20 mm and O/C molar ratios of 0.1–0.2, indicating that they are mainly composed of polyethylene, polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene. An O/C ratio of 0.1 for PP was reached after being degraded for 75 days via an advanced oxidation process (AOP) in distilled water. The usage of SO 4 • − initiator overcame the inhibiting effect that seawater had on PP degradation and accelerated the process. The O/C molar ratio of a PP sample degraded via AOP for 15 days in seawater is the same as that of marine MP retrieved from the sea. The combination of seawater and SO 4 • − initiator thus led to excellent acceleration of the degradation process. Nanosized PP particles were obtained over 15 days of AOP degradation, showing that the size of the MP could be controlled according to the degradation time.