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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Photochemistry of microplastics-derived dissolved organic matter: Reactive species generation and organic pollutant degradation
ClearPhotochemical reactivity of water-soluble dissolved organic matter from microplastics and microfibers
When microplastics and microfibers sit in water, they leach dissolved organic matter (DOM) that can react with sunlight to produce reactive chemicals. This study found that the type and amount of DOM released depends heavily on polymer chemistry, with aromatic plastics like PET and polystyrene releasing more light-absorbing DOM, and microfibers releasing more DOM overall than microplastic particles. Understanding how plastic-derived DOM breaks down in sunlight is important because these chemical by-products can interact with other aquatic pollutants and affect aquatic ecosystems in ways not yet fully understood.
Phototransformation and photoreactivity of MPs-DOM in aqueous environment: Key role of MPs structure decoded by optical and molecular signatures
Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released from microplastics behaves during light-driven transformation in water. They found that organic matter from benzene-containing polymers showed distinctly different photoreactivity compared to matter from polyolefin-based plastics. The study reveals that the chemical structure of the parent microplastic plays a key role in determining how its dissolved byproducts react and generate reactive species in aquatic environments.
Unraveling the role of natural and pyrogenic dissolved organic matter in photodegradation of biodegradable microplastics in freshwater
Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter from natural sources versus biochar affects the breakdown of biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics in sunlight. Naturally sourced organic matter accelerated PLA degradation nearly twice as much as biochar-derived matter by generating more reactive oxygen species, suggesting that the type of organic matter in a waterway significantly influences whether biodegradable plastics actually break down.
Hydrophilic Fraction of Dissolved Organic Matter Largely Facilitated Microplastics Photoaging: Insights from Redox Properties and Reactive Oxygen Species
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.
Insights into the photosensitivity and photobleaching of dissolved organic matter from microplastics: Structure-activity relationship and transformation mechanism
This study investigated the photosensitivity and photobleaching behavior of dissolved organic matter released from microplastics (MPDOM), examining how physicochemical properties of different plastics influence photoactivation and transformation. The structure-activity analysis revealed that MPDOM composition strongly determines its photoreactivity, affecting how microplastic-derived organic compounds interact with sunlight and generate reactive oxygen species in aquatic environments.
High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Combined with Reactive Oxygen Species Reveals Differences in Photoreactivity of Dissolved Organic Matter from Microplastic Sources in Aqueous Environments
Researchers analyzed the dissolved organic matter that different types of microplastics release into water and how it reacts with sunlight. Plastics with aromatic structures like polystyrene and PET released compounds that broke down faster and generated more reactive oxygen species than polyethylene or polypropylene. Understanding how different plastics chemically alter water quality is important because these released compounds and reactive species can affect aquatic life and the safety of water sources used by people.
Molecular Signatures of Dissolved Organic Matter Generated from the Photodissolution of Microplastics in Sunlit Seawater
Researchers incubated polyethylene, polypropylene, and expanded polystyrene microplastics in sunlit seawater and characterized the dissolved organic matter produced as the plastics broke down. The study found that sunlight generated hundreds of unique oxygen-containing chemical products from each plastic type, while virtually none were produced in the dark. Evidence indicates that a single process, photodegradation, can transform simple plastic polymers into a complex array of dissolved organic chemicals in ocean environments.
Photo-induced leaching behaviors and biodegradability of dissolved organic matter from microplastics and terrestrial-sourced particles
Researchers studied how light exposure causes microplastics and terrestrial particles to leach dissolved organic matter, and how this leachate behaves in the environment. The study found differences in the biodegradability of leachate from plastic versus natural sources, suggesting that microplastic-derived organic matter may persist differently in aquatic ecosystems.
Photochemical dissolution of buoyant microplastics to dissolved organic carbon: Rates and microbial impacts
Common ocean surface microplastics (PE, PP, EPS) were irradiated under simulated sunlight, which fragmented and oxidized the polymers and produced dissolved organic carbon as a significant byproduct. The study identifies sunlight-driven photochemical dissolution as an important but poorly quantified removal mechanism for buoyant microplastics from the ocean surface.
Molecular-level insights into the heterogeneous variations and dynamic formation mechanism of leached dissolved organic matter during the photoaging of polystyrene microplastics
Researchers investigated the molecular-level changes that occur when polystyrene microplastics break down under light exposure and release dissolved organic matter into water. They found that the released molecules were highly diverse and changed dynamically over the course of aging, with different chemical classes appearing at different stages. The study provides new insight into how degrading microplastics introduce complex mixtures of organic chemicals into aquatic environments.
Understanding microplastic aging driven by photosensitization of algal extracellular polymeric substances
Researchers found that substances released by algae significantly speed up the breakdown of polystyrene microplastics under sunlight. The algal compounds generate reactive molecules that attack the plastic surface, creating smaller fragments and releasing dissolved organic matter. The findings are particularly relevant for understanding how microplastics degrade in waterways affected by algal blooms.
Polystyrene microplastics enhanced the photo-degradation and -ammonification of algae-derived dissolved organic matters
Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics affect the breakdown of organic matter released by algae when exposed to UV light. They found that the presence of microplastics accelerated the degradation of amino acid-like compounds and increased ammonia production compared to UV exposure alone. The study suggests that microplastics can act as environmental photosensitizers, potentially altering nutrient cycling in natural water bodies.
Photochemical transformation of microplastics-derived dissolved organic matter altered the photoaging of microplastics
Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released from different microplastics (polystyrene, polyethylene, and biodegradable PBAT) affects the aging of polystyrene microplastics under UV irradiation, finding that PBAT-derived organic matter most strongly accelerated plastic photoaging.
Enhanced malachite green photolysis at the colloidal-aqueous interface
This study found that microplastic particles in water can accelerate the breakdown of certain organic pollutants at the particle surface. The research suggests that microplastics play an underappreciated role in the environmental fate of chemical contaminants.
Solar radiation stimulates release of semi-labile dissolved organic matter from microplastics
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.
Molecular fingerprints of dissolved organic matter leached from microplastics over prolonged photochemical aging: Implications for aquatic carbon cycling
Researchers used ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry to identify the dissolved organic molecules that leach from polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene microplastics after prolonged exposure to sunlight. They found that polystyrene released the most diverse array of molecules, many of which could persist in water systems. The study suggests that as microplastics degrade in sunlight, they release non-natural organic compounds that may affect the aquatic carbon cycle from rivers to oceans.
Characterization of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter in freshwater: Effects of light irradiation and polymer types
Researchers examined how different types of microplastics release dissolved organic matter into freshwater under light and dark conditions. They found that polypropylene released the most organic compounds after UV exposure, while protein-like substances were the main material released by most plastics in the dark. The study indicates that microplastics may have ongoing, long-term effects on water chemistry and microbial activity in natural water bodies.
Self-motivated photoaging of microplastics by biochar-dissolved organic matter under different pyrolysis temperatures
Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter from biochar affects the photoaging of polystyrene microplastics under different conditions. The study found that biochar produced at lower pyrolysis temperatures significantly accelerated microplastic degradation, suggesting that biochar-derived organic matter may play an important role in the environmental weathering and breakdown of plastic particles.
Molecular Weights of Dissolved Organic Matter Significantly Affect Photoaging of Microplastics
This study found that dissolved organic matter in natural water significantly speeds up how quickly microplastics break down under sunlight, with smaller organic molecules having the strongest effect. The breakdown process generates reactive chemical species that attack the plastic surfaces. This is important because it means microplastics in natural waters may fragment into smaller, potentially more harmful nanoplastics faster than lab studies using pure water would suggest.
Molecular characteristics and plastic additives in dissolved organic matter derived from polystyrene microplastics: Effects of cumulative irradiation and microplastic concentrations
This study investigated how ultraviolet light breaks down polystyrene microplastics and releases dissolved organic matter, including plastic additives, into the surrounding water. Greater UV exposure produced more complex chemical mixtures with higher levels of potentially toxic compounds. The findings are important because sunlight-driven breakdown of microplastics in the environment may release harmful chemicals into water sources that people use for drinking and recreation.
Effects of organic additives on spectroscopic and molecular-level features of photo-induced dissolved organic matter from microplastics
Researchers studied how UV sunlight causes microplastics to release dissolved organic matter, and how chemical additives in commercial plastics affect this process. They found that commercial plastics with additives released significantly more organic compounds under UV light than pure polymer particles. The study suggests that as everyday plastic products break down in the environment, their built-in additives may amplify the release of potentially harmful dissolved chemicals into surrounding water.
Sunlight-Driven Photochemical Removal of Polypropylene Microplastics from Surface Waters Follows Linear Kinetics and Does Not Result in Fragmentation
Researchers tracked what happens to small polypropylene microplastics when exposed to sunlight over extended periods. The study found that sunlight steadily breaks down the plastic into dissolved organic carbon following a predictable linear pattern, and importantly, this process did not cause the microplastics to fragment into smaller particles, suggesting photodegradation may actually reduce rather than multiply microplastic pollution at the water surface.
Dark Reduction of Hg(II) by Dissolved Organic Matter Derived from Aging Microplastics: Mechanisms and Implications
Researchers discovered that dissolved organic matter released from photoaged microplastics can convert toxic mercury into a less reactive form through dark chemical reactions. The organic matter from aged polystyrene, PVC, and polylactic acid reduced over 30% of mercury within 10 minutes, outperforming natural river organic matter. The findings suggest that as microplastic pollution increases in waterways, it may significantly alter mercury cycling in aquatic environments.
Photo-aging of polyvinyl chloride microplastic in the presence of natural organic acids
Researchers described a new photo-aging pathway for polyvinyl chloride microplastics in aquatic environments involving low-molecular-weight organic acids. The study found that natural organic acids and their iron complexes significantly accelerated the degradation of PVC microplastics under sunlight through hydroxyl radical generation, revealing how environmental conditions influence microplastic weathering.