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Ligand-promoted photoactivation aging of microplastics by composite clay minerals
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This study found that naturally occurring organic compounds called ligands — which dissolve iron from clay minerals — can dramatically speed up the environmental weathering (aging) of microplastics when exposed to sunlight. In the presence of ligands, mass loss from microplastics over 15 days increased by 61%, driven by enhanced production of hydroxyl radicals that chemically attack the plastic surface. Understanding how quickly microplastics degrade in natural environments is important because aging changes their surface chemistry, making them more likely to adsorb and transport other pollutants.
• The ligand significantly improved the aging efficiency of the MPs, with a 61% increase in mass loss over 15 days compared to the system without the ligand. • Ligand-induced partial dissolution of Fe(II) into the liquid phase optimizes electron transfer and oxygen utilization and enhances the Fe(II)/Fe(III) cycle. • The ligand promoted the generation of •OH in the system, and the content of •OH increased to 64.83 μmol within 8 h, which was about three times that before the addition. Clay minerals in natural environments have the potential to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thus age microplastics (MPs). The present study further demonstrates that the ligand can cause a change in the distribution of Fe morphology on the surface of clay minerals. Part of the Fe(II) was transferred to the liquid phase, which promoted the ability of clay minerals to generate ROS and improve the efficiency of photoaging MPs. After the addition of 1 mM Na 2 C 2 O 4 to the system suspension, the mass loss of MPs increased from 0.3% to 2.81% in one day, and finally reached 5.55% in 15 days. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results indicated that hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and superoxide radicals (•O 2 - ) play a key role in the photoaging process. The positive effect of ligands on photoaging MPs was quantified and the mechanism elucidated in detail by studying the water contact angle and carbonyl index. In conclusion, this study opens up a new research direction for the development of environmentally friendly microplastic pollution control technologies and elucidates the potential application value of ligand-mineral synergism in aging microplastics.
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Pyrite, a common mineral in lake and river sediments, was found to accelerate photoaging of polystyrene microplastics through redox reactions when exposed to sunlight, generating reactive oxygen species that oxidize the plastic surface. The finding identifies mineral-plastic interactions as an important but underappreciated driver of microplastic weathering in natural sediment environments.
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Iron (hydr)oxide minerals goethite and hematite were found to significantly accelerate the photodegradation of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics under simulated sunlight, with goethite showing greater effect due to higher hydroxyl radical production via a light-driven Fenton reaction. The study reveals a previously overlooked natural mechanism by which common soil minerals can influence the environmental fate of microplastics.
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This study investigated how dissolved organic matter in natural water affects the breakdown of microplastics by sunlight. The water-soluble fraction of organic matter was most effective at speeding up microplastic aging by generating reactive oxygen species that attack the plastic surface. This matters because faster breakdown of microplastics in the environment creates smaller, potentially more dangerous nanoplastic particles that can more easily enter living organisms.
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