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Production of methane and ethylene from plastic in the environment
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Common plastics were exposed to ambient solar radiation and found to produce methane and ethylene as they degrade, with polyethylene generating the highest volumes of both greenhouse gases among materials tested, and production rates increasing over 212 days. The study identifies plastic degradation in sunlit environments as a previously unrecognized source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Mass production of plastics started nearly 70 years ago and the production rate is expected to double over the next two decades. While serving many applications because of their durability, stability and low cost, plastics have deleterious effects on the environment. Plastic is known to release a variety of chemicals during degradation, which has a negative impact on biota. Here, we show that the most commonly used plastics produce two greenhouse gases, methane and ethylene, when exposed to ambient solar radiation. Polyethylene, which is the most produced and discarded synthetic polymer globally, is the most prolific emitter of both gases. We demonstrate that the production of trace gases from virgin low-density polyethylene increase with time, with rates at the end of a 212-day incubation of 5.8 nmol g-1 d-1 of methane, 14.5 nmol g-1 d-1 of ethylene, 3.9 nmol g-1 d-1 of ethane and 9.7 nmol g-1 d-1 of propylene. Environmentally aged plastics incubated in water for at least 152 days also produced hydrocarbon gases. In addition, low-density polyethylene emits these gases when incubated in air at rates ~2 times and ~76 times higher than when incubated in water for methane and ethylene, respectively. Our results show that plastics represent a heretofore unrecognized source of climate-relevant trace gases that are expected to increase as more plastic is produced and accumulated in the environment.
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Photolysis of microplastics under ultraviolet radiation : greenhouse gas emissions.
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Researchers investigated how ultraviolet radiation drives the photolytic degradation of microplastics ranging from 1 micron to 5 mm, measuring greenhouse gas emissions produced as plastics fragment and oxidize under UV exposure. Photolysis was shown to both fragment microplastics and release gases including methane and ethylene, linking plastic degradation to climate-relevant emissions.
Plastic photodegradation under simulated marine conditions
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Researchers measured the photodegradation rates of different plastic types under simulated marine conditions and found that UV radiation caused all plastics to release dissolved organic carbon and greenhouse gases including methane. The degradation rates translated to 1.7-2.3% per year for particles in subtropical surface ocean conditions. Modeling suggests that solar UV radiation may have already degraded 7 to 22% of all floating plastic ever released into the sea.
Photolysis of microplastics under ultraviolet radiation : greenhouse gas emissions.
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Researchers investigated the photodegradation of microplastics under UV radiation, measuring greenhouse gas emissions produced during polymer breakdown. The study found that microplastic photolysis releases carbon-based gases, adding a previously underappreciated contribution to atmospheric greenhouse gas budgets.
Solar radiation stimulates release of semi-labile dissolved organic matter from microplastics
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Researchers found that solar radiation causes microplastics to release dissolved organic matter into seawater, with low-density polyethylene releasing about five times more carbon per gram per day than polystyrene. The released organic compounds included nitrogen- and sulfur-containing molecules, and a portion overlapped with compounds found naturally in coastal waters. Incubation experiments showed that microbes could utilize 9-19% of this plastic-derived organic matter within 30 days, suggesting it becomes part of the marine carbon cycle.
How Sunlight Transforms Polyethylene and Promotes Microplastic Formation from Greenhouses
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Researchers tested plastic greenhouse film (polyethylene) by leaving it outdoors in Ecuador for up to 342 days and separately exposing it to UV light in the lab for up to 579 hours. Both methods showed increasing chemical breakdown, surface damage, and cracking over time, suggesting a process that leads to fragmentation into microplastics. The study also estimated how much greenhouse film waste Ecuador might generate yearly.
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.