We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of microplastic aging on its detectability and physico-chemical properties in loess and sandy soil
ClearMicroplastic aging processes: Environmental relevance and analytical implications
Researchers reviewed how microplastics change physically and chemically over time in the environment — a process called 'aging' — and found that standard lab methods for detecting microplastics were mostly developed using fresh, unaged plastics, making it harder to accurately measure real-world contamination. Improved analytical methods that account for aged microplastics are needed for reliable environmental assessment.
Impact of microplastic types and aging degrees on the transport behavior of marine oil spills
The transport behavior of microplastics through soil was found to vary significantly based on both the type of plastic polymer and the degree of aging (weathering), with aged particles generally showing different mobility than virgin ones. This means predictions of microplastic spread in soils must account for the weathering state of the particles.
The wheel of time: The environmental dance of aged micro- and nanoplastics and their biological resonance
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics change as they age in the environment through exposure to sunlight, water, and biological activity. Aged plastics behave differently than fresh ones: they accumulate faster in ecosystems, are more easily taken up by organisms, and can release trapped chemicals as they break down. The findings suggest that the real-world health and environmental risks of microplastics may be greater than lab studies using new, unweathered plastics indicate.
Influence of polymer age and soil aggregation on microplastic transport in soil erosion events
Researchers compared the transport rates of pristine and aged polystyrene microplastics during simulated rainfall events and quantified their incorporation into soil aggregates across multiple wet-dry cycles, providing the first empirical data on how surface roughness and hydrophobicity changes from weathering affect MP mobility in soil erosion.
Aging Significantly Affects Mobility and Contaminant-Mobilizing Ability of Nanoplastics in Saturated Loamy Sand
Researchers studied how aging from UV light and ozone exposure affects the mobility of nanoplastics in soil and found that aged particles traveled much farther through the soil column than pristine ones. The aged nanoplastics also carried more chemical contaminants with them as they moved. The findings suggest that weathered nanoplastics in the environment may pose greater risks for groundwater contamination than previously assumed.
A comprehensive review of microplastic aging: Laboratory simulations, physicochemical properties, adsorption mechanisms, and environmental impacts
This review examines how microplastics change as they age in the environment through exposure to sunlight, water, and chemicals, becoming rougher and more chemically reactive over time. Aged microplastics absorb more pollutants than fresh ones and release harmful additives and free radicals, meaning the microplastics people encounter in the real world may be more dangerous than the pristine particles typically used in lab studies.
Preparing and characterizing environmentally aged microplastics
When microplastics enter the environment, they are not static — UV radiation, water, temperature, and biological activity all cause them to age, changing their surface structure, chemical composition, and behavior. This paper presents a standardized laboratory protocol for systematically recreating and measuring microplastic aging across different environments (soil, water, air, and inside organisms), along with a composite aging index to quantify how degraded a particle has become. Having a consistent, reproducible method for studying aging is a critical step toward understanding how microplastics change as they move through ecosystems and how that affects their health and environmental risks.
The distribution of pristine and aged low density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics in soil aggregate fractions
Researchers investigated how pristine and aged low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics distribute across soil aggregate size fractions, examining whether weathering alters interactions between plastic particles and the soil matrix. The study found that aging significantly modified microplastic surface properties and changed their redistribution patterns within aggregate fractions compared to pristine particles.
Weathering pathways and protocols for environmentally relevant microplastics and nanoplastics: What are we missing?
This review highlights a major gap in microplastics research: most lab studies use brand-new, pristine plastic particles, but microplastics in the real world have been weathered by sunlight, water, and biological activity. Weathered microplastics behave differently, releasing more chemicals and interacting with organisms in ways that fresh plastics do not. Only about 10% of published studies have used aged microplastics, meaning current risk assessments may not reflect the true dangers of environmental microplastic exposure.
A review on enriched microplastics in environment: From the perspective of their aging impact and associate risk
This review explores what happens to microplastics as they age in the environment over long periods. Researchers found that natural weathering changes the physical and chemical properties of microplastics in ways that may increase their ability to harbor harmful microorganisms and interact with other pollutants, suggesting that aging may actually make microplastic pollution more hazardous over time rather than less.
The impact of microplastic weathering on interactions with the soil environment: a review
This review examines how weathering — exposure to UV light, moisture, and physical forces — changes the surface properties of microplastics and affects their interactions with soil. Weathered microplastics behave differently in the environment, potentially altering soil structure and the movement of water and nutrients.
Effects of Weathering on Microplastic Dispersibility and Pollutant Uptake Capacity
This study examined how environmental weathering changes the surface properties of microplastics and their ability to absorb co-pollutants, finding that weathered MPs bind more contaminants than pristine particles due to surface oxidation and cracking. The results emphasize that the environmental fate and toxicity of microplastics change dynamically as they age in the environment.
Microplastic alteration in agricultural soils across Europe: Comparative study of MPs inside and outside soil aggregates over two years
Researchers tracked microplastic aging inside and outside soil aggregates in European agricultural soils over two years, comparing fields in multiple countries. Microplastics enclosed within aggregates showed less physicochemical aging than surface-exposed particles, suggesting that aggregate formation can temporarily protect plastics from degradation and prolong their persistence in soil.
The importance of both physical aging and chemical weathering for the environmental fate of plastic
Researchers investigated the interplay between physical aging and chemical weathering in plastics and their combined effects on microplastic generation, finding that physical aging processes — distinct from photo-oxidation — play an underappreciated role in determining the environmental fate of plastic materials.
Contrasting effects of physical and chemical aging of microplastics on the transport of lead and copper in sandy soil
Physical aging (mechanical weathering) and chemical aging (oxidation) of microplastics had contrasting effects on their surface chemistry and biological impacts, highlighting that different environmental degradation pathways produce functionally distinct particles. Researchers need to distinguish between aged particle types to accurately assess microplastic risks.
Sorption of organic compounds by aged polystyrene microplastic particles
Researchers tested the sorption of organic compounds by aged polystyrene microplastic particles and found that weathering increased their sorption capacity, meaning environmental aging makes microplastics more effective at accumulating and transporting pollutants.
Impact of Degradation of Polyethylene Particles on Their Cytotoxicity
Researchers found that degradation of polyethylene particles altered their cytotoxicity, with weathered and fragmented PE showing different toxic effects on cells compared to pristine particles, suggesting environmental aging changes microplastic health risks.
Change in adsorption behavior of aquatic humic substances on microplastic through biotic and abiotic aging processes
Researchers found that both UV irradiation and microbial aging of polyethylene microplastics significantly altered their surface chemistry, changing how aquatic humic substances adsorb onto the plastic surface and highlighting the importance of weathering state in assessing microplastic-contaminant interactions.
The Re-distribution of Pristine and Aged Microplastics (<50 µm) in Soil Aggregate Fractions
Researchers investigated how pristine and aged microplastics smaller than 50 micrometers redistribute among soil aggregate fractions during aggregation in two soil textures amended with organic matter, finding that aggregate formation actively partitions microplastics in ways influenced by soil texture and particle aging.
Aging behavior of microplastics accelerated by mechanical fragmentation: alteration of intrinsic and extrinsic properties
Researchers mechanically fragmented polystyrene, polypropylene, and PET microplastics to simulate environmental aging, finding that fragmentation alters surface chemistry, crystallinity, and heavy metal adsorption capacity, with aging degree measurable through structural changes.