We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Accelerated Hydrolysis Method for Producing Partially Degraded Polyester Microplastic Fiber Reference Materials
AI summary Read the abstract
An accelerated hydrolysis method was developed to produce partially degraded polyester microplastic fibers that more closely resemble environmentally weathered materials than pristine reference microplastics used in most toxicity studies. The approach allows researchers to test realistic, aged microplastic fibers from textiles, which dominate environmental microplastic contamination.
Microplastic fibers (MPFs) from textiles significantly contribute to the microplastic (MP) load in many environmental matrices and have been shown to negatively impact the organisms therein. Most fate and effect studies to date rely on pristine reference MP materials that have limited relevance compared with the partially degraded MP particles and fibers typically present in the natural environment. The current study aimed to develop and validate a rapid method to generate environmentally relevant polyester (PET) MPF reference material with controllable levels of degradation. Importantly, the method produced the same degradation products (terephthalic acid (TA) and ethylene glycol (EG)) as those generated during natural UV (sunlight) exposure of PET. Alkaline hydrolysis provided linearly increasing degrees of degraded PET MPFs over just a few hours, with full decomposition into molecular fragments occurring after 3 h. The extent of physical degradation was determined by scanning electron microscopy, whereas chemical degradation was quantified by measuring the production of TA and EG degradation products. The proposed accelerated hydrolysis degradation method is relevant for producing partially degraded PET MPF reference materials for use in fate and effect studies.
More Papers Like This
New approach to produce accelerated aged microplastics standard
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a new approach to produce accelerated aged microplastic standard materials by subjecting polymer particles to simulated weathering conditions, generating reference materials that more accurately reflect the degraded chemical and physical properties of microplastics found in real environmental samples.
Simulation of accelerated ageing of polyester fabric
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers simulated accelerated aging of polyester textile fabrics, finding that synthetic fiber degradation — driven by fast fashion, consumerism, and environmental exposure — contributes to microplastic pollution and raises ecological concerns about the lifecycle of synthetic textiles.
Rapid oxidative fragmentation of polypropylene with pH control in seawater for preparation of realistic reference microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a method to produce realistic reference microplastics by rapidly fragmenting polypropylene through oxidative treatment in seawater with pH control, and characterized the resulting particles using SEM/EDX to confirm their similarity to environmentally weathered microplastics.
A novel method for preparing microplastic fibers
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a reproducible laboratory method for generating microplastic fibers from commercial textiles for use in controlled exposure experiments. The method addresses a major gap in ecotoxicology research: unlike spherical microbeads, fibers cannot be purchased commercially, limiting their use in standardized toxicity testing.
New approach to produce accelerated aged microplastics standard
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a new approach to produce accelerated-aged microplastic reference standards that more closely resemble environmentally weathered particles, accounting for the range of polymer types, shapes, sizes, and degradation conditions that determine real-world microplastic properties.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.