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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.
The use of biodegradable plastics may solve the pollution caused by conventional plastics in the future. However, microplastics and nanoplastics are produced during the aging process of biodegradable plastics. This work evaluated the formation of secondary microplastics and nanoplastics and the effects of aging factors (UV radiation and mechanical forces) during the degradation processes of various biodegradable plastics (poly(butylene adipate co-terephtalate) (PBAT), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), and polylactic acid (PLA)) and conventional plastics (polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)). This study also assessed the combined toxicity of secondary microplastics and Triclosan (TCS) on Tigriopus japonicas. The results showed that PLA and PBS could produce many microplastics. Most secondary microplastics were smaller than 50 μm. Primary pellets were more likely to generate microplastics through mechanical degradation than via photooxidation. In contrast, PBAT/PLA and PE bags were more likely to form microplastics through photooxidation than mechanical degradation. The secondary microplastics did not affect the survival of T. japonicas and the toxicity of TCS. This study highlights that risk assessment of biodegradable plastics, especially secondary microplastics, and nanoplastics, should be assessed in future studies.
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Insights into the photoaging behavior of biodegradable and nondegradable microplastics: Spectroscopic and molecular characteristics of dissolved organic matter release
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Researchers compared how biodegradable and conventional microplastics break down under ultraviolet light and what dissolved substances they release. They found that biodegradable PLA microplastics released more protein-like organic matter during UV exposure than conventional polystyrene, and this matter was more readily used by microorganisms. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics, while designed to be better for the environment, may introduce different ecological risks as they break down.
Degradation of Biodegradable Microplastics under Artificially Controlled Aging Conditions with UV Radiation
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Researchers subjected biodegradable plastics to controlled UV aging and found that they fragmented into microplastics faster than conventional plastics under simulated outdoor conditions. Biodegradable plastics are promoted as an eco-friendly alternative, but this study shows they may actually create microplastic pollution more rapidly in real-world environments. The findings raise important questions about whether biodegradable plastics are a genuine solution to plastic pollution.
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.
Comparing the Aging Processes of PLA and PE: The Impact of UV Irradiation and Water
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Scientists compared how biodegradable PLA plastic and conventional polyethylene break down under UV light and water exposure. PLA degraded more severely, fragmenting into smaller particles more readily than polyethylene, though both types developed surface cracks and chemical changes. Understanding how different plastics age is important because smaller, more degraded particles may be more easily absorbed by living organisms and potentially cause greater harm.
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.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.