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Nutrient adsorption on microplastics in the aquatic environment
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This study examines nutrient adsorption onto microplastics in aquatic environments, reviewing how both conventional and biodegradable plastic particles interact with nutrients following fragmentation driven by UV radiation, wave action, and mechanical abrasion.
Zaradi svoje odpornosti, širokega spektra uporabnosti in nizke cene, je plastika zelo priljubljen material. Do nedavnega je bila večina plastike narejena iz polimerov, ki niso biološko razgradljivi, zaradi neustreznega ravnanja z odpadki, pa je veliko takšne plastike (konvencionalna plastika) pristalo v okolju. Zato je bila v zadnjem času predlagana uporaba plastike, narejene iz biološko razgradljivih materialov, vendar pa njena biorazgradnja v okolju poteka zelo počasi. Oba tipa plastike zaradi različnih dejavnikov, kot so ultravijolično sevanje, valovanje in mehanska abrazija, sčasoma fragmentirata v vse manjše delce, med katerimi velja mikroplastika (delci v velikosti od 1 do 1000 μm) za eno izmed najbolj zaskrbljujočih oblik plastičnega onesnaženja. Mikroplastika predstavlja globalni okoljski problem. Na bioto in posledično celoten ekosistem lahko vpliva direktno in indirektno. Do sedaj se je večina raziskav osredotočala na proučevanje direktnih vplivov na organizme z različnih trofičnih nivojev prehranjevalne verige, medtem ko indirektni vplivi, kot so vpliv na fizikalno-kemijske lastnosti vode in sedimentov ter kroženje hranil, še niso bili dobro raziskani. Zato je bil namen magistrskega dela natančneje proučiti interakcije konvencionalne in biološko razgradljive mikroplastike z različnimi oblikami hranil v vodnem ekosistemu. Poleg surove mikroplastike polietilena z nizko gostoto (LDPE) in polibutilen adipat tereftalata (PBAT) z dodanim škrobom, smo interakcije s hranili proučevali tudi z biotsko starano mikroplastiko. Tovrstno mikroplastiko najpogosteje najdemo v okolju, saj jo ob vstopu v vodni ekosistem relativno hitro začnejo naseljevati različni mikroorganizmi, čemur sledi nastanek biofilma. V sklopu magistrskega dela smo najprej razvili biofilm in ovrednotili površinske spremembe surove in starane mikroplastike ter določili količino biofilma na površini. Nato smo ovrednotili količino in moč vezave hranil (dušika in fosforja) na surovo in starano mikroplastiko. Ovrednotili smo adsorpcijo amonijevega dušika, nitritov, nitratov ter ortofosfatov, kot tudi spremembe v vezavi na starano mikroplastiko z aktivnim in deaktiviranim biofilmom, da bi natančneje proučili ali tekom procesa vezave hranil prihaja do privzema s strani mikroorganizmov v biofilmu ali prihaja le do njihove adsorpcije na površino mikroplastike. Ugotovili smo, da se je na biotsko starano mikroplastiko adsorbiral večji delež hranil kot na surovo. Adsorpcija je bila višja pri biorazgradljivi mikroplastiki kot konvencionalni. Interakcije so zaradi polarnosti na začetku najverjetneje elektrostatske narave, v nadaljevanju pa hranila tvorijo komplekse, ki predstavljajo najpogostejši način vezave, ki pa je, kot smo ugotovili tekom poskusov adsorpcije, odvisna tako od tipa hranila, lastnosti mikroplastike in stopnje staranja.
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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.