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Characterizing photochemical ageing processes of microplastic materials using multivariate analysis of infrared spectra
Summary
Scientists studied how sunlight breaks down tiny plastic particles (microplastics) that end up in our environment, finding that different types of plastic degrade at very different rates when exposed to UV light. This matters because as these plastics break down and change chemically, they may become better or worse at picking up and carrying harmful chemicals that could eventually reach humans through food and water. The research helps us better understand how long different plastics persist in nature and how their ability to transport pollutants changes over time.
Microplastics in the environment are an emerging concern due to impacts on human and environmental health. In addition to direct effects on biota, microplastics influence the fate and distribution of trace organic contaminants through sorption and transport. Environmental weathering may influence the rate and extent of chemical sorption. Changes in the surface characteristics of four common plastics including low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) were followed under the influence of both artificial light (UV-B) and natural sunlight for up to six months. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectra were collected at regular intervals. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the full dataset of UV-B weathered samples (n >500 spectra) simultaneously discriminated plastic type and extent of photochemical weathering. The magnitude of PCA scores correlated with exposure time and the loadings were consistent with surface chemistry changes including photooxidation. Projecting sunlight and UV-C exposed samples onto this PCA model demonstrated that similar chemical changes occurred, albeit at different rates. The results were compared to the carbonyl index (CI) with similar weathering trends indicating PP weathered at a faster initial rate than LDPE and HDPE. We propose that a multivariate approach is more widely applicable than CI as illustrated by PS, which lacked a stable reference peak. Kinetic analysis of the time series indicated that outdoor weathering occurred 5–12 times slower than the artificial exposure used here, depending on the plastic and the light source employed. The results provide unique insights into weathering processes and the photochemical age of naturally weathered plastics.