Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Influence of polyethylene microplastics on the photocatalytic degradation of dibutyl phthalate and bisphenol A in an aqueous medium

Researchers examined how polyethylene microplastics influence the photocatalytic degradation of dibenzofuran in seawater using hydrogen peroxide, assessing whether plastic particles alter the phototransformation of hydrophobic organic pollutants. Microplastics modified the photocatalytic process, changing the rate and products of dibenzofuran degradation and potentially affecting aquatic toxicity.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Photochemical transformation and interaction of octachlorodibenzofuran (OCDF) with microplastics in suspended particulate matter-water system

Researchers investigated how the toxic pollutant octachlorodibenzofuran undergoes photochemical transformation in the presence of microplastics and suspended particulate matter in water. The study found that microplastics serve as carriers for this hydrophobic organic pollutant, and their co-presence with suspended particles affects the pollutant's breakdown behavior under light exposure.

2025 Water Research 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancement of photodegradation of polyethylene with adsorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under artificial sunlight irradiation

Researchers showed that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed onto polyethylene plastic act as photocatalysts that accelerate the photodegradation of the plastic in marine environments, increasing microplastic production from plastic waste contaminated with hydrophobic organic pollutants.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Photochemistry of microplastics-derived dissolved organic matter: Reactive species generation and organic pollutant degradation

Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released from degrading polystyrene and PVC microplastics behaves when exposed to sunlight in water. They found that sunlight breaks down the aromatic compounds in this plastic-derived material and generates reactive chemical species, though at lower rates than natural organic matter. Despite this, these reactive species significantly accelerated the breakdown of co-existing pollutants, suggesting that degrading microplastics may act as unexpected natural catalysts in aquatic environments.

2024 Water Research 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic vision on polypropylene microplastics degradation by solar radiation using TiO2 nanoparticle as photocatalyst

Researchers demonstrated that titanium dioxide nanoparticles acting as a photocatalyst under sunlight can degrade polypropylene microplastics in water. After 50 hours of exposure, the microplastics lost about 50% of their weight as the sunlight-activated catalyst broke down the plastic's chemical structure. The study offers a potential approach for using solar-powered photocatalysis to address microplastic contamination in aquatic environments.

2023 Environmental Research 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastic addition on degradation of dibutyl phthalate in offshore sediments

Adding small amounts of polypropylene and polystyrene microplastics to marine sediments slightly enhanced breakdown of the plasticizer dibutyl phthalate, but higher concentrations inhibited degradation. The findings suggest microplastics alter the chemical fate of co-occurring pollutants in ocean sediments by affecting sorption and microbial communities.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 21 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Chemosphere 12 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics on organotins’ photodegradation in aquatic environments

Researchers found that polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, and polymethyl methacrylate microplastics differentially affect the photodegradation of organotin compounds in aquatic environments, with microplastics both adsorbing organotins and altering their photolytic breakdown pathways depending on polymer type.

2020 Environmental Pollution 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Properties Govern the Photodegradation of Sorbed Anthracene in Aquatic Environments

Researchers found that microplastic properties — including polymer type, surface chemistry, and aging state — govern the rate and pathway of solar photodegradation of sorbed anthracene in aquatic environments, with sorption to microplastics altering contaminant photochemical fate compared to free solution.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic degradation of polyethylene microplastics by copper-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles

Researchers investigated photocatalytic degradation of polyethylene microplastics using copper-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles as an efficient approach to breaking down aquatic plastic pollution, addressing the limitations of conventional removal methods that only achieve surface-level reduction.

2025 Chemosphere
Article Tier 2

Microplastic PropertiesGovern the Photodegradationof Sorbed Anthracene in Aquatic Environments

Researchers investigated how microplastic properties govern the photodegradation of anthracene, a model hydrophobic organic contaminant, in aquatic environments, finding that polymer type, surface characteristics, and aging state significantly influenced degradation rates. The study highlights that microplastics can both facilitate and inhibit contaminant photodegradation depending on their physicochemical properties.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Sizeand Structure-DependentMolecular FingerprintTransformation of Microplastic-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter inSunlit Seawater: Implication for Marine Carbon Cycles

Researchers investigated how the size and structure of microplastics influence the photochemical transformation of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter in sunlit seawater, finding that inherent polymer properties shape the molecular fingerprint changes with implications for marine carbon cycling.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Sizeand Structure-DependentMolecular FingerprintTransformation of Microplastic-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter inSunlit Seawater: Implication for Marine Carbon Cycles

Researchers investigated how the size and structure of microplastics influence the photochemical transformation of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter in sunlit seawater, finding that inherent polymer properties shape the molecular fingerprint changes with implications for marine carbon cycling.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Roles of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter on the photodegradation of organic micropollutants

Researchers discovered that dissolved organic matter released from weathered microplastics significantly inhibits the photodegradation of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole in water, primarily through light screening effects, suggesting microplastic pollution may slow the natural breakdown of pharmaceutical contaminants.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 120 citations
Article Tier 2

Studies of the Photo-transformation of Emerging Contaminants Adsorbed onto Plastic in an Aqueous Environment

This thesis investigated how light exposure transforms chemical contaminants adsorbed onto microplastics in water, examining how UV-driven photo-transformation changes the toxicity of pollutants like PCBs and PAHs attached to plastic surfaces. Understanding these transformations is important for assessing the true environmental risk of chemical-laden microplastics.

2020 Loyola eCommons (Loyola University of Chicago)
Article Tier 2

Size and Structure-Dependent Molecular Fingerprint Transformation of Microplastic-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter in Sunlit Seawater: Implication for Marine Carbon Cycles

This study examined how the size and structure of microplastics influence the photochemical transformation of MP-derived dissolved organic matter under UV irradiation, finding that inherent plastic properties determine the molecular character of DOM released and its effects on ocean carbon cycling.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

State of the art in the photochemical degradation of (micro)plastics: from fundamental principles to catalysts and applications

This review summarizes research on the photochemical degradation of plastics and microplastics into value-added products and intermediates via photocatalysis. The study covers fundamental principles and catalytic approaches for breaking down plastic pollutants that are otherwise difficult to degrade in the environment.

2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry A 94 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2019 Journal of Hazardous Materials 359 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic Technologies for Transformation and Degradation of Microplastics in the Environment: Current Achievements and Future Prospects

This review examines photocatalytic technologies that use light-activated materials to break down microplastics in the environment. Various catalysts can generate reactive oxygen species that degrade plastic polymers into simpler, less harmful molecules. The authors assess the strengths and limitations of different photocatalytic approaches and highlight the need for scalable solutions that work under real-world environmental conditions.

2023 Catalysts 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed on polyethylene microplastics

Researchers investigated the photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed onto polyethylene microplastics under natural sunlight conditions, finding that PAH concentrations on microplastic surfaces decreased over time due to photodegradation. The study provides first data on the environmental fate of PAH-microplastic complexes under realistic solar irradiation.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 28 citations
Article Tier 2

First Insights into Photocatalytic Degradation of HDPE and LDPE Microplastics by a Mesoporous N–TiO2 Coating: Effect of Size and Shape of Microplastics

A nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide photocatalyst successfully degraded high-density and low-density polyethylene microplastics under visible light, with smaller particles showing greater degradation than larger ones or film-shaped particles. The study establishes a foundation for visible-light photocatalysis as a potential strategy for removing microplastics from water.

2020 Coatings 205 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic Degradation and Remediation of Microplastics

This review chapter examines photocatalysis as a remediation strategy for microplastic pollution in aquatic and terrestrial environments, describing how solar energy conversion drives chemical reactions that degrade plastic particles. The authors assess the current state of photocatalytic methods, their mechanisms, and their potential for sustainable microplastic removal.

2024 Microplastics