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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics: From Intrinsic Properties to Environmental Fate
ClearRazgradnja mikroplastike v okolju
This review examines the degradation of microplastics in the environment, explaining how the rate of polymer breakdown is governed by intrinsic material properties -- including chemical structure, molecular weight, crystallinity, and additives -- alongside environmental factors such as UV radiation, temperature, humidity, and the specific matrix in which the plastic resides.
Degradation of microplastics in the natural environment: A comprehensive review on process, mechanism, influencing factor and leaching behavior
This review examines how microplastics break down in the environment through physical, chemical, and biological processes, and what happens as they degrade. As microplastics age and fragment, they release chemical additives and dissolved organic matter that can be toxic, meaning degrading plastics may actually become more harmful to ecosystems and human health over time.
A Mini Review on Recent Insight into Degradation of Environmental Plastics
This mini-review summarizes current knowledge on how plastics break down in the environment to form microplastics, covering mechanical, photochemical, thermal, and biological degradation pathways, and identifies key gaps in understanding how environmental conditions and plastic properties influence degradation rates.
Oxidation and fragmentation of plastics in a changing environment; from UV-radiation to biological degradation
This review examines how plastics break down in the environment through UV radiation, weathering, and biological processes, producing smaller and smaller fragments including microplastics and nanoplastics. The breakdown process also releases chemical additives and creates particles with altered surface properties that may be more toxic than the original plastic. Understanding these degradation pathways is critical because the secondary particles produced may pose greater risks to ecosystems and human health than the larger plastic debris.
Understanding plastic degradation and microplastic formation in the environment: A review
This review covers how plastics break down in the environment through sunlight, heat, water, and microbial action to form microplastics smaller than 5 millimeters. The process depends on both the type of plastic and environmental conditions, but knowledge about real-world degradation rates and pathways is still limited. Understanding how microplastics form is essential for predicting where they accumulate and how they might enter the food chain and drinking water.
Role of Structural Morphology of Commodity Polymers in Microplastics and Nanoplastics Formation: Fragmentation, Effects and Associated Toxicity in the Aquatic Environment
This review examines how the structural morphology and chemical composition of commodity polymers influence the formation and environmental behaviour of microplastics and nanoplastics, arguing that chemical degradation pathways have been largely overlooked in favour of purely physical abrasion explanations for plastic fragmentation.
Migration and Transformation of Microplastics
This review traces the full journey of microplastics through the environment, from their origins to how they move through water, soil, and air. Researchers examined how properties like particle size, shape, density, and surface chemistry influence where microplastics end up and how far they travel. The study highlights that during transport, microplastics can release toxic additives and carry other pollutants, posing risks to both ecosystems and human health.
[Research Progress on Plastic Aging Processes and Their Environmental Hazards].
This review examines the full dynamic aging process of plastics—from large pieces through microplastics and nanoplastics—including the mechanisms by which additives and soluble compounds are released during degradation. It concludes that while aging mechanisms are similar across plastic sizes, smaller particles carry greater potential for harm due to higher surface area and bioavailability.
Plastic Degradation and its Effects
This paper reviews plastic degradation pathways that generate microplastics from larger items, documenting how phthalates and other toxic additives are released during fragmentation. The authors survey mitigation options including biodegradable plastics, recycling, and mechanical removal technologies.
Recent advances in research from plastic materials to microplastics
This review traced recent advances in understanding plastic material degradation into microplastics, covering mechanical, photochemical, and biological fragmentation pathways and reviewing current knowledge on environmental fate and biological effects.
Microplastics, physical-chemical and biological principles of this environmental liability
This review covers the physical, chemical, and biological principles underlying microplastic behavior in the environment, including how particles fragment, sorb contaminants, and interact with organisms. The authors frame microplastics as a complex environmental stressor whose impacts depend on particle size, shape, polymer type, and the specific biological system exposed.
The Fate of Micro/Nano Plastic Pollutants in the Natural Environment
This review explains how micro- and nanoplastics form through physical, chemical, and biological breakdown of larger plastic debris, and then traces their fate across land, water, and living organisms at every level of the ecological hierarchy. The authors discuss methods for identifying and classifying these particles and summarize the ecotoxicological risks they pose as they accumulate and interact with other pollutants. It provides a broad-level framework for understanding where microplastics end up in nature and why that matters for both ecosystem and human health.
Micro- and Nanoplastic Processes: Degradation, Fragmentation, Aggregation and the Need for Environmentally Relevant Reference Materials
This research review explains how tiny plastic particles break down and change when exposed to sunlight, water, and bacteria in the environment. These weathered plastic pieces behave very differently from fresh plastics—they can clump together and move through soil and water in new ways, potentially affecting where they end up in our food and water systems. Understanding how plastics age and change is crucial for predicting their long-term impacts on human health and the environment.
A comprehensive review on polymer degradation: Mechanisms, environmental implications, and sustainable mitigation strategies
This comprehensive review examined the different ways plastics break down in the environment, including through heat, sunlight, chemical reactions, and biological processes. Researchers highlighted how polymer degradation leads to microplastic pollution, ecosystem disruption, and potential health risks for both wildlife and humans. The study emphasizes that biodegradable plastics, improved recycling, and better stabilization techniques are needed to manage plastic waste more sustainably.
The Biodegradation of Plastic by Microorganisms
This review examines how the chemical composition of plastics influences their susceptibility to biodegradation by microorganisms, discussing the diverse biophysical-chemical properties of synthetic polymers that affect microbial degradation rates across different environmental contexts.
A comprehensive review on polymer degradation: Mechanisms, environmental implications, and sustainable mitigation strategies
This comprehensive review examined polymer degradation mechanisms including thermal, photo, oxidative, hydrolytic, and biodegradation processes and their environmental implications. The study discussed how these degradation pathways generate microplastic pollution and contribute to ecosystem disruption, while evaluating sustainable mitigation strategies such as biodegradable polymers, advanced recycling, and stabilization techniques.
Materials science underpinnings of micro and nanoplastics
This perspective paper explores the materials science behind how micro- and nanoplastics form and behave in the environment. Researchers highlight a major knowledge gap: the process by which molecular-level bond breaking leads to the creation of plastic fragments ranging from nanometers to millimeters in size is still poorly understood. The study calls for new measurement techniques that can accelerate aging experiments and better characterize these tiny particles.
Innovative overview of the occurrence, aging characteristics, and ecological toxicity of microplastics in environmental media
This review summarizes existing research on where microplastics are found in the environment, how they age and break down, and their toxic effects on living organisms. The paper highlights that as microplastics weather in the environment through sunlight and chemical exposure, they become smaller and can carry other pollutants, potentially increasing their health risks. It also covers emerging strategies for detecting and removing microplastics.
The biography of microplastics (MPs): occurrences, sources, weathering/degradation, characterization, ecological/human risks, removal methods, policy development, and current trends and future perspectives
This comprehensive review covers the full lifecycle of microplastics, from their sources and environmental breakdown to their effects on ecosystems and human health. The authors discuss how physical, chemical, and biological processes fragment larger plastics into microplastics and nanoplastics that spread through air, water, and soil. The review emphasizes the growing evidence that microplastic exposure poses risks to human health and calls for stronger policies and standardized research methods.
Understanding and Mitigating the Toxic Impacts of Microplastic Pollution on Environmental Health
This review covers the sources, types, and ecological impacts of microplastics as environmental contaminants, examining how polymer-specific properties such as chemical additives affect toxicity across ecosystems and discussing mitigation approaches including physical and chemical remediation.
Current studies on the degradation of microplastics in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem
This review summarizes current studies on microplastic degradation in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, covering physical, chemical, and biological degradation pathways and the fate of breakdown products. The review highlights the persistence of microplastics and the limited progress toward efficient degradation under natural environmental conditions.
Degradation and Fragmentation of Microplastics
This review examines the degradation and fragmentation mechanisms that generate secondary microplastics from ocean plastic debris, covering photo-oxidation chemistry, environmental weathering rates, and how different polymer types break down under marine conditions.
Degradation and Recycling of Polymer Materials
This review synthesizes research on the degradation and recycling of polymer materials, covering microplastic formation, recycling strategies, and plastic degradation mechanisms as responses to the significant environmental damage caused by discarded plastics in ocean and other ecosystems.
A critical review on nanoplastics and its future perspectives in the marine environment
This review provides a comprehensive look at nanoplastics, plastic particles smaller than one micrometer, and their fate in marine environments. Researchers found that nanoplastics can originate from the breakdown of larger plastic debris and may carry harmful chemical additives and absorbed pollutants on their surfaces. The evidence indicates that due to their extremely small size, nanoplastics can cross biological barriers and accumulate in marine organisms, raising concerns about food chain contamination.