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Research of photodegradation of phenanthrene, pyrene and chrysene adhering to polyethylene in the water
Summary
Researchers studied the photodegradation of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - phenanthrene, pyrene, and chrysene - both dissolved in water and adsorbed onto polyethylene microplastics. The work addresses how microplastics influence the environmental fate and degradation of co-occurring chemical pollutants in aquatic systems.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) play an important role in the manufacturing industry. However, some PAHs are carcinogenic or mutagenic. Aqueous PAH contamination is widespread. Due to the low solubility in the water, they are likely to be absorbed in plastics. Phenanthrene, pyrene, and chrysene are three PAHs with different structures. In this project, there are two existing states of phenanthrene, pyrene, and chrysene: dissolved in water and adsorb on PE circle. Each existence state of phenanthrene, pyrene, and chrysene was irradiated using a UV lamp for 2 hours respectively. The total mass of irradiated PAHs was detected by GC-MS to identify the photodegradation ratio of each chemical. The sorption of pyrene on the PE circles increases the photodegradation. However, obvious photodegradation ratio cannot be detected on chrysene.