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Photo aging of polypropylene microplastics in estuary water and coastal seawater: Important role of chlorine ion
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Researchers studied how UV light ages polypropylene microplastics in estuarine and coastal seawater and found that chloride ions significantly accelerated photo-degradation by generating reactive chlorine radicals, suggesting that marine microplastics age faster than freshwater ones.
Photo aging of microplastics (MPs) in water environment are relevant to free radical associated polymer chain reaction, and various photo chemical reactive constitutes (i.e., Cl, Br, NO, CO, and natural organic matters) would affect the reaction, leading to a great difference in the photo aging mechanism of MPs between freshwater and seawater system. This study investigated light induced photo aging process of polypropylene (PP) MPs in ultrapure water, estuary water, and seawater. Results revealed that the aging rate of PP MPs was significantly decreased in estuary water and seawater compared with that in ultrapure water, leading to a longer resistance time after emission in marine environment. Besides, lower carbonyl index was found with the increased aqueous Cl concentration, highlighting the important role of Cl in the inhibitory effect for PP MPs aging process in seawater. This is due to the formation of Cl in seawater which could react with HO• and prevent the formation of O, thus inhibit the photo aging process of PP MPs under light irradiation. The finding in this study clearly indicates the impact of the water matrices on the photo aging rate of MPs in natural water.
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ThePhotodegradationProcess of PP Plastics in TidalFlat Environments: The Role and Mechanism of Chloride Ions
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UV aging of polyester (PET) microfibers accelerates faster in seawater than in freshwater, driven by reactive ions like nitrate, bromide, and chloride. This matters because faster aging in marine environments means PET microfibers — the most abundant microplastic in aquatic systems — break down more rapidly into smaller, potentially more bioavailable nanoplastic fragments in the ocean.
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