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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Recent advances in research from plastic materials to microplastics
ClearA 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.
Current progress on plastic/microplastic degradation: Fact influences and mechanism
This review examined current physicochemical and biological methods for degrading plastics and microplastics, including mechanical, UV, thermal, and microbial approaches. Researchers found that while multiple degradation pathways exist, their efficiency varies widely depending on polymer type and environmental conditions. The study highlights the need for more effective and scalable degradation technologies to address growing plastic pollution.
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.
On the degradation of (micro)plastics: Degradation methods, influencing factors, environmental impacts
This review provides a comprehensive overview of methods for degrading microplastics, including photodegradation, thermal degradation, and biodegradation, along with the factors that influence each process. Researchers found that while several degradation approaches show promise in laboratory settings, no mature and effective method is yet available for large-scale engineering applications or natural environments. The study also discusses how degradation products of microplastics can themselves pose environmental risks.
Surface Chemistry in Environmental Degradation of Polymeric Solids
Researchers reviewed the three main degradation pathways of plastic materials from a surface chemistry perspective: chemical, biological, and mechanical degradation. They described how these processes can occur consecutively or simultaneously in the environment, ultimately producing microplastics. The study provides a scientific framework for understanding how plastics break down into smaller particles, which is essential for developing strategies to address microplastic pollution.
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.
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.
Introduction, Past and Present Scenarios of Plastic Degradation
This review traces the history and current state of plastic degradation research, covering how plastics break down in the environment and what technologies exist to accelerate or improve degradation. The persistence of plastic in the environment is what drives the ongoing accumulation of microplastics globally.
Global challenges in microplastics: From fundamental understanding to advanced degradations toward sustainable strategies
This review examined global challenges in microplastic research — from environmental entry pathways and fate to human health impacts — and discussed potential degradation strategies, concluding that a combination of photocatalysis, biodegradation, and policy measures will be needed for sustainable management.
New insights into the migration, distribution and accumulation of micro-plastic in marine environment: A critical mechanism review
This review provided new insights into microplastic migration, distribution, and accumulation in marine environments, examining how photodegradation of macroplastics generates microplastics and their eco-toxicological risks to marine biota.
Biodegradation of Plastic Waste: Environmental Implications and Remediation Approaches
This review examined physical, chemical, and biological degradation mechanisms of microplastics in the environment, including photodegradation, hydrolysis, and microbial breakdown. The authors discussed how degradation generates secondary microplastics and toxic by-products, and reviewed emerging mitigation strategies including advanced oxidation and enzymatic degradation.
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.
From Macro to Micro Plastics; Influence of Photo-oxidative Degradation
This study used simulated UV aging to investigate how photo-oxidative degradation of common plastics drives fragmentation from macro to micro scale, characterizing the surface property changes and structural breakdown that generate microplastic particles in the environment.
Microplastic degradation methods
This review examines methods for degrading microplastics, which are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm that have become ubiquitous contaminants throughout the biosphere. Researchers synthesized physical, chemical, and biological degradation approaches, evaluating their efficacy for reducing microplastic persistence in the environment and mitigating associated health and ecological risks.
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.
Pathways for degradation of plastic polymers floating in the marine environment
This review examined the pathways and mechanisms by which plastic polymers degrade in the marine environment, covering photodegradation, mechanical fragmentation, and biodegradation and estimating the timescales involved.
Mechanisms and the Engineering Approaches for the Degradation of Microplastics
This review provided a comprehensive overview of current microplastic degradation methods, including mechanical, chemical, photocatalytic, and biological approaches, evaluating engineering strategies for efficient microplastic treatment and removal.
On the issue of microplastics in the environment
This paper examines the origins of microplastic pollution, arguing that its emergence is not solely attributable to polymer chemistry advances and cannot be explained simply by physicochemical degradation processes acting on plastic materials.
Recent advances in the breakdown of microplastics: strategies and future prospectives
This review summarizes recent advances in microplastic breakdown methods, including natural weathering, catalyst-assisted degradation, and biodegradation by microorganisms. The study highlights promising strategies for addressing microplastic pollution, while noting that most current methods remain at the laboratory scale and face challenges for real-world application.
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.
Microplastic and its effects on the environment
This review describes the formation of microplastics as degradation byproducts of plastic materials and examines their environmental distribution and ecological consequences, with a focus on physical, chemical, and biological removal methods from water and sediment. The authors also describe protocols for collecting, processing, and analyzing microplastic samples in aquatic environments.
The fate of microplastics in the environment: Systematic studies to determine release rates of secondary micro- and nanoplastics and water-soluble organics induced by photolysis and hydrolysis
Researchers conducted systematic studies on the photolytic and hydrolytic degradation of microplastics using three photolysis protocols and multiple polymer types to determine release rates of secondary micro- and nanoplastics and water-soluble organics, providing mechanistic data needed for environmental fate and risk assessment.
The fate of microplastics in the environment: Systematic studies to determine release rates of secondary micro- and nanoplastics and water-soluble organics induced by photolysis and hydrolysis
Researchers conducted systematic studies on the photolytic and hydrolytic degradation of microplastics using three photolysis protocols and multiple polymer types to determine release rates of secondary micro- and nanoplastics and water-soluble organics, providing mechanistic data needed for environmental fate and risk assessment.
Systematic Review of Degradation Processes for Microplastics: Progress and Prospects
This systematic review summarizes existing research on different methods for breaking down microplastics, including photodegradation, chemical oxidation, and biological approaches. The study evaluates how effective each technique is at destroying microplastics and discusses which methods show the most promise for real-world application. Finding effective ways to degrade microplastics is critical because these particles persist in the environment for hundreds of years and continue to enter our food and water.