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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Degradation of Biodegradable Microplastics under Artificially Controlled Aging Conditions with UV Radiation
ClearMicroplastics generated from a biodegradable plastic in freshwater and seawater
Researchers compared microplastic generation from a biodegradable plastic (PBAT) and conventional polyethylene in water and found that the biodegradable plastic actually produced far more microplastic fragments. Exposure to UV light, which simulates sunlight, dramatically accelerated the fragmentation of the biodegradable material. This finding challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are a straightforward solution to plastic pollution, since they may create more microplastics during the breakdown process.
Micro- and nanoplastics released from biodegradable and conventional plastics during degradation: Formation, aging factors, and toxicity
Researchers compared how biodegradable and conventional plastics break down into micro- and nanoplastics during degradation, testing the effects of UV light and mechanical forces. They found that biodegradable plastics like PLA and PBS can produce significant quantities of secondary microplastics, challenging the assumption that they are entirely safe alternatives. The study highlights the need for risk assessments of biodegradable plastics, particularly the tiny fragments generated as they break down.
Insights into the photoaging behavior of biodegradable and nondegradable microplastics: Spectroscopic and molecular characteristics of dissolved organic matter release
Researchers compared how biodegradable and conventional microplastics break down under ultraviolet light and what dissolved substances they release. They found that biodegradable PLA microplastics released more protein-like organic matter during UV exposure than conventional polystyrene, and this matter was more readily used by microorganisms. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics, while designed to be better for the environment, may introduce different ecological risks as they break down.
Characterization of the degradation products of biodegradable and traditional plastics on UV irradiation and mechanical abrasion
Researchers compared how biodegradable plastic (PBAT/PLA) and traditional polyethylene break down under UV light and mechanical wear over nine months. The biodegradable plastic degraded faster but released more nanoplastics and dissolved molecules under UV light, while traditional plastic mainly produced larger microplastic fragments. This suggests that biodegradable plastics, while breaking down more quickly, may generate more of the smallest and potentially most harmful plastic particles.
Investigating aquatic biodegradation and changes in the properties of pristine and UV-irradiated microplastics from conventional and biodegradable agricultural plastics
Researchers compared the biodegradation of conventional and biodegradable agricultural plastic mulching films in aquatic environments, testing both pristine and UV-weathered samples. The study found that while biodegradable plastics break down well under controlled composting conditions, their degradation in non-target environments like water bodies is considerably less predictable.
Biodegradable plastics in the air and soil environment: Low degradation rate and high microplastics formation
Researchers compared the degradation rates of various biodegradable plastic types in natural air and soil environments over time, finding that most degraded slowly under ambient conditions and generated substantial microplastic fragments, with non-certified biodegradable plastics showing essentially no degradation.
Photo-Aging of Biodegradable Polylactic Acid Microplastics
Researchers investigated the photo-aging of polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, finding that UV exposure caused fragmentation that increased total particle numbers while decreasing average particle size. The study provides quantitative data on how biodegradable PLA plastics generate secondary microplastics through photoaging, a previously poorly characterized degradation pathway for this widely used industrial bioplastic.
Comparing the Aging Processes of PLA and PE: The Impact of UV Irradiation and Water
Scientists compared how biodegradable PLA plastic and conventional polyethylene break down under UV light and water exposure. PLA degraded more severely, fragmenting into smaller particles more readily than polyethylene, though both types developed surface cracks and chemical changes. Understanding how different plastics age is important because smaller, more degraded particles may be more easily absorbed by living organisms and potentially cause greater harm.
Environmental degradation and fragmentation of microplastics: dependence on polymer type, humidity, UV dose and temperature
Researchers systematically tested how UV light, temperature, and humidity cause five common plastic types to break apart into secondary microplastics and nanoplastics. They found that the type of plastic — not the aging conditions — was the main factor determining how quickly it fragmented and what byproducts it released, data that can improve models predicting how plastics break down in the environment.
Generation of biodegradable microplastics from commercially available PBAT and PLA-based plastic bags in water: Impacts of UVA and water medium
Researchers tested how commercially available biodegradable plastic bags made from PBAT and PLA degrade in water under UVA light and dark conditions over 12 weeks. They found that both materials degraded faster in pure water than seawater, and UVA light significantly accelerated breakdown, but neither fully decomposed. The study confirms that biodegradable plastics generate microplastic fragments during incomplete degradation in aquatic environments.
Evaluation of the degradation from micro to nanoplastics from biodegradable bags in marine conditions
Researchers evaluated how biodegradable plastic bags degrade into micro- and nanoplastics under environmental conditions, comparing them to conventional plastics. The study found that even biodegradable materials generate persistent micro- and nanoplastic particles under real-world conditions.
Contaminant release from aged microplastic
Researchers exposed recycled plastic granules of polyethylene, PVC, and polystyrene to simulated aging conditions including UV radiation and high temperatures. They found that aging significantly increased the rate at which chemical additives leached from the plastic particles into water, with UV exposure having the greatest effect. The study highlights that weathered microplastics in the environment may release harmful chemicals at much higher rates than fresh plastic materials.
Insights into photoaging behaviors and mechanisms of biodegradable and conventional microplastics in soil
Researchers compared how biodegradable and conventional microplastics break down when exposed to light in soil environments. They found that biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) aged faster than conventional polyethylene, with both types developing surface cracks and chemical changes over time. The study provides new insights into how different plastic types weather in soil, which affects their environmental persistence and potential toxicity.
Ageing and fragmentation of marine microplastics
Researchers studied how marine microplastics fragment into smaller particles when exposed to UV light and mechanical forces, simulating natural environmental aging. They found that aged microplastics generated an enormous number of fragments, reaching billions of particles per gram of plastic, with most pieces smaller than two micrometers. The results suggest that current environmental sampling methods severely undercount the true number of small microplastic and nanoplastic particles present in the ocean.
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.
Degradation efficiency of biodegradable plastics in subtropical open-air and marine environments: Implications for plastic pollution
Researchers tested several types of biodegradable plastics in real outdoor and ocean environments in Hong Kong and found that most failed to break down significantly over the study period. This means biodegradable plastics marketed as eco-friendly alternatives can still fragment into microplastics that persist in the environment and potentially enter the food chain, posing similar risks to conventional plastics.
Molecular-level insights into the leachates released from ultraviolet-aged biodegradable and conventional commercial microplastics and their mechanism of toxicity toward Chlorella pyrenoidosa
Researchers compared leachates from UV-aged biodegradable and conventional microplastics and found that biodegradable plastics actually released several times more dissolved organic matter and nano-sized particles than traditional plastics. The leachates from biodegradable plastics also caused more gene changes and greater toxicity in algae. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are environmentally safer, suggesting they may release more harmful substances as they break down.
Quantitative study of microplastic degradation in urban hydrosystems: Comparing in situ environmentally aged microplastics vs. artificially aged materials generated via accelerated photo-oxidation
Researchers compared how polyethylene microplastics degrade in real urban water environments versus under controlled laboratory UV exposure. They found that lab-aged plastics showed primarily physical and chemical changes from UV light, while microplastics collected from stormwater and sediments also showed signs of biological degradation and hydrolysis. The study demonstrates that artificial aging alone does not fully replicate the complex degradation processes microplastics undergo in actual urban water systems.
Biodegradable Microplastics: Environmental Fate and Persistence in Comparison to Micro- and Nanoplastics from Traditional, Non-Degradable Polymers
This review compares biodegradable microplastics with traditional microplastics and finds that while biodegradable versions break down much faster, they still release microplastic-sized particles that can persist in the environment for varying periods. How quickly biodegradable microplastics actually disappear depends heavily on environmental conditions like temperature, moisture, and microbial activity, and lab results often overestimate real-world degradation. The takeaway is that switching to biodegradable plastics helps but does not fully solve the microplastic pollution problem.
Aging behavior of biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics accelerated by UV/H2O2 processes
Researchers used UV and hydrogen peroxide to simulate environmental aging of biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, finding that PLA microplastics undergo significant surface and structural changes during weathering that alter their environmental behavior and persistence.
Aging of biodegradable blended plastic generates microplastics and attached bacterial communities in air and aqueous environments
Researchers aged biodegradable plastic blends in both air and water, finding that fragmentation into microplastics was inevitable before complete degradation, and that the resulting particles attracted distinct bacterial communities compared to conventional plastics. The study raises concerns that biodegradable plastics may still pose environmental risks during the microplastic phase of their breakdown.
From macroplastics to microplastics: Role of water in the fragmentation of polyethylene
Laboratory photodegradation experiments compared how polyethylene plastic films fragment in water versus air under UV light, finding that the aquatic environment significantly influences the physical and chemical breakdown of plastic into microplastics. The study improves understanding of how water immersion changes the photodegradation pathways of floating and submerged plastic debris.
The characteristic change of plastic film from common used packing bags under UV photodegradation
Researchers studied how UV light degrades plastic packaging films over time, finding that photodegradation causes surface cracking and chemical changes that progressively break plastic into smaller fragments, including microplastics. The findings help explain how discarded plastic packaging contributes to microplastic accumulation in the marine environment.
Photodegradation of macroplastics to microplastics : A laboratory study on common litter found in urban areas
A laboratory study used UV light to simulate how plastic litter found in urban environments degrades into microplastics over time. The results help explain the pathway from discarded plastic items to the small fragments now found across the environment, from soils to human tissues.