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Secondary microplastics formation and colonized microorganisms on the surface of conventional and degradable plastic granules during long-term UV aging in various environmental media
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Researchers compared how biodegradable and conventional plastics generate secondary microplastics and develop bacterial biofilms during long-term UV aging. Biodegradable PBAT plastic produced significantly more secondary microplastic fragments than conventional PVC after 90 days of weathering. The study also found that aged microplastics harbored genes related to human pathogens, raising concerns that biodegradable plastics may actually pose greater ecological risks than expected.
Recently, biodegradable plastics (BPs) as an alternative of conventional plastics have been widely advocated and applied. However, there is still a large research gap between the formation of secondary microplastics (MPs) and colonized microorganisms on their surface under long-term aging in different environments. In this study, the generation of secondary MPs and the formation of surface biofilms on the micro-sized (3-5 mm) biodegradable plastic poly (butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate) (BP-PBAT) and conventional plastic polyvinyl chloride (CP-PVC) under long-term UV aging was investigated. The results showed that hundreds and even thousands of MPs (185.53 ± 85.73 items/g - 1473.27 ± 143.67 items/g) were generated by BP-PBAT and CP-PVC after aged for 90 days, and the abundance of MPs produced by BP-PBAT was significantly higher than that of CP-PVC. Moreover, the α diversities and detected OTU number of biofilm communities formed on MPs increased with MPs-aging. The genes related to the formation of biofilms was significantly expressed on aged MPs and the genes related to human pathogens and diseases were also detected in enriching on MPs surface. Overall, BPs may lead to greater ecological risks as it releases thousands of secondary MPs after being aged, and their environmental behavior needs to be further explored.
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Effect of weathering on the release of secondary microplastic fragments and dissolved organics from microplastics
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Researchers systematically investigated how different weathering conditions affect the release of secondary microplastics and dissolved organic carbon from PVC, polyethylene, and biodegradable PBAT plastics. The study found that biodegradable PBAT released the highest amounts of secondary particles and organic carbon, and that combined UV and mechanical aging produced the most significant degradation, enhancing particle release by up to 72% compared to either method alone.
Micro- and nanoplastics released from biodegradable and conventional plastics during degradation: Formation, aging factors, and toxicity
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Researchers compared how biodegradable and conventional plastics break down into micro- and nanoplastics during degradation, testing the effects of UV light and mechanical forces. They found that biodegradable plastics like PLA and PBS can produce significant quantities of secondary microplastics, challenging the assumption that they are entirely safe alternatives. The study highlights the need for risk assessments of biodegradable plastics, particularly the tiny fragments generated as they break down.
Microplastics generated from a biodegradable plastic in freshwater and seawater
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Researchers compared microplastic generation from a biodegradable plastic (PBAT) and conventional polyethylene in water and found that the biodegradable plastic actually produced far more microplastic fragments. Exposure to UV light, which simulates sunlight, dramatically accelerated the fragmentation of the biodegradable material. This finding challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are a straightforward solution to plastic pollution, since they may create more microplastics during the breakdown process.
Characterization of the degradation products of biodegradable and traditional plastics on UV irradiation and mechanical abrasion
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Researchers compared how biodegradable plastic (PBAT/PLA) and traditional polyethylene break down under UV light and mechanical wear over nine months. The biodegradable plastic degraded faster but released more nanoplastics and dissolved molecules under UV light, while traditional plastic mainly produced larger microplastic fragments. This suggests that biodegradable plastics, while breaking down more quickly, may generate more of the smallest and potentially most harmful plastic particles.
Aging of biodegradable blended plastic generates microplastics and attached bacterial communities in air and aqueous environments
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Researchers aged biodegradable plastic blends in both air and water, finding that fragmentation into microplastics was inevitable before complete degradation, and that the resulting particles attracted distinct bacterial communities compared to conventional plastics. The study raises concerns that biodegradable plastics may still pose environmental risks during the microplastic phase of their breakdown.
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