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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to UV-degraded polyethylene exhibits variable charge and enhanced cation adsorption
ClearUV-ageing effects on polystyrene microplastics surface polarity and transport in soils
Researchers found that UV sunlight exposure changes polystyrene microplastics by adding oxygen-containing groups to their surfaces, which makes the particles move differently through soil. The UV-aged particles became smaller and had altered surface charges, affecting how far they could travel through sand and soil. This matters because it shows that weathered microplastics in the environment behave differently than fresh ones, potentially reaching groundwater and other water sources more easily.
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 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.
Photodegradation modifies microplastic effects on soil properties and plant performance
Researchers examined how UV-driven photodegradation alters the effects of microplastics on soil properties and plant growth. The study found that degraded plastic fibers increased soil water retention and respiration more than their non-degraded counterparts, while degraded foams reduced soil aggregation, demonstrating that the environmental weathering state of microplastics is an important factor in determining their ecological impact.
Adsorption behaviors of chlorpyrifos on UV aged microplastics
Researchers investigated how UV aging affects the adsorption of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on biodegradable and non-degradable microplastics, finding that UV irradiation significantly modified plastic surfaces and enhanced their capacity to carry organic pollutants.
The effect of UV exposure on conventional and degradable microplastics adsorption for Pb (II) in sediment
Researchers studied how UV aging affects the ability of conventional polyethylene and degradable polylactic acid microplastics to adsorb lead ions from aquatic sediment. They found that UV aging increased the surface area and oxygen content of both plastic types, enhancing their capacity to adsorb heavy metals. The study suggests that weathered microplastics in the environment may be more effective carriers of heavy metal contamination than pristine particles.
Surface characteristics and adsorption properties of polypropylene microplastics by ultraviolet irradiation and natural aging
This study examined how aging and UV light change the surface properties of polypropylene microplastics and their ability to absorb other pollutants. UV-aged microplastics absorbed significantly more of a common dye pollutant, while naturally aged particles absorbed less due to biological film buildup. Understanding how microplastics change over time in the environment matters because aged particles may carry different levels of harmful chemicals than fresh ones.
Aging of microplastics increases their adsorption affinity towards organic contaminants
Researchers found that microplastics that have been weathered by sunlight and environmental exposure absorb significantly more chemical pollutants than fresh microplastics, with up to a 4.7-fold increase in adsorption. Ultraviolet exposure changes the surface chemistry of the plastics, making them stickier for contaminants. This matters because most microplastics in nature are weathered, meaning they may be carrying more toxic chemicals into the food chain than laboratory studies using new plastics would suggest.
The Ultraviolet Irradiation Aging Characteristics of Microplastics in Soil under the Action of Biochar
Researchers characterized how microplastics change physically and chemically under ultraviolet irradiation aging, documenting surface cracking, yellowing, and shifts in chemical functional groups. These aging signatures are important for understanding the environmental fate and increased toxicity of weathered microplastics.
Identification of naturally weathering microplastics and their interactions with ion dyes in aquatic environments
Researchers collected naturally weathered microplastics and examined their adsorption and desorption of the cationic dye crystal violet, finding that weathering significantly altered surface properties and enhanced pollutant binding capacity compared to pristine plastics.
The weathering process of polyethylene microplastics in the paddy soil system: Does the coexistence of pyrochar or hydrochar matter?
Researchers conducted a 24-week paddy soil weathering experiment with polyethylene microplastics in the presence or absence of pyrochar or hydrochar, finding that weathering roughened and discolored PE particle surfaces, and that weathered PE microplastics showed altered sorption capacity toward cadmium, bisphenol A, and dimethyl phthalate compared to original particles.
UV aging induces colloidal-like behavior in microplastics, mediating contaminant fluxes across interfaces
Researchers showed that UV aging and mechanical stress transform polyethylene microplastics into reactive porous particles with colloidal behavior, developing surface oxidation, increased roughness, and trace metal accumulation — changes that alter how they transport contaminants across water-sediment interfaces.
Comparison of rhodamine B adsorption and desorption on the aged non-degradable and degradable microplastics: Effects of charge-assisted hydrogen bond and underline mechanism
Researchers compared how the dye rhodamine B adsorbs and desorbs from aged versus fresh forms of both degradable and non-degradable microplastics. They found that UV aging increased adsorption capacity across all plastic types by creating rougher surfaces and more oxygen-containing functional groups. The study reveals that charge-assisted hydrogen bonding plays a key role in how aged microplastics interact with cationic organic pollutants in the environment.
Adsorption behaviors of microplastics from packaging materials subjected to ultraviolet irradiation and microbial colonization
Researchers studied how UV irradiation and microbial colonization alter the surface properties of microplastics from discarded packaging materials and their ability to adsorb pollutants. They found that aging processes changed surface chemistry and hydrophilicity, affecting how microplastics interact with contaminants like crystal violet dye through hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, and hydrophobic interactions.
After the sun: a nanoscale comparison of the surface chemical composition of UV and soil weathered plastics
Researchers used nanoscale surface analysis to compare how UV light and soil burial weather the chemical composition of plastics differently, finding that each exposure type produces distinct surface changes. These differences affect how plastics interact with surrounding environments, including how they may adsorb or release contaminants as microplastics in nature.
Accelerated aging of polyvinyl chloride microplastics by UV irradiation: Aging characteristics, filtrate analysis, and adsorption behavior
Researchers systematically investigated how UV irradiation ages polyvinyl chloride microplastics, characterizing changes in their physical and chemical properties and the organic matter they release. The study established quantitative relationships between the degree of aging and the capacity of microplastics to adsorb environmental pollutants like malachite green and sulfamethoxazole, providing a tool for predicting contaminant accumulation on weathered microplastics in natural environments.
Photoaging of polyethylene microplastic and its effect on the chlorpyrifos adsorption
This study examined how UV-B radiation ages polyethylene microplastics over time and how that aging changes their ability to adsorb the pesticide chlorpyrifos. Photoaging modified the surface chemistry and structure of the plastic, altering its interaction with the pesticide, suggesting that weathered microplastics in aquatic environments may carry different — and potentially higher — loads of toxic chemicals than fresh particles. This "Trojan horse" effect is important for understanding how microplastics contribute to broader chemical contamination of waterways.
Effect of light irradiation on heavy metal adsorption onto microplastics
Researchers investigated how UV light irradiation of polypropylene microplastics affected their adsorption of lead (Pb) from water, finding that photo-weathering increased surface oxidation and significantly enhanced heavy metal adsorption capacity.
Investigation of Surface Alteration of Microplastics by Using UV Irradiation
UV radiation causes polystyrene and other plastic microparticles to undergo photooxidative degradation, changing their surface chemistry and potentially making them more likely to adsorb or release chemical pollutants. Understanding these weathering processes is important for predicting the environmental behavior and toxicity of microplastics.
The influence of oxidation and hydrophobic coupling on the transport behavior of polyethylene microplastics: The synergistic effect of ultraviolet aging and surfactants
Researchers investigated how ultraviolet aging and surfactant attachment interact to influence the transport behavior of polyethylene microplastics, finding that UV oxidation increases oxygen-containing surface groups and reduces hydrophobicity, which in turn alters surfactant adsorption and modifies particle mobility in environmental systems. The study addresses a gap in understanding the coupled effects of oxidative aging and surface chemistry on microplastic transport.
Simulated experimental investigation of microplastic weathering in marine environment
Researchers simulated microplastic weathering under marine conditions, finding that exposure to UV light, saltwater, and mechanical abrasion progressively degraded plastic surfaces, increased surface roughness, and enhanced the adsorption capacity of contaminants onto microplastic particles.
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.
The UltravioletIrradiation Aging Characteristicsof Microplastics in Soil under the Action of Biochar
Researchers investigated how biochar application at four concentrations affects UV-induced aging of both persistent polyethylene microplastics and biodegradable PBAT microplastics in soil, finding that biochar modulates the aging behavior and physicochemical transformation of microplastics under ultraviolet irradiation.
Mechanistic interpretation of the sorption of terbuthylazine pesticide onto aged microplastics
Researchers investigated how accelerated weathering — using UV irradiation, hydrogen peroxide, and ultrasonic treatment — alters the surface properties of polyethylene microplastics and affects their sorption of the herbicide terbuthylazine. Aged polyethylene particles showed measurably different sorption kinetics and capacities compared to pristine particles, providing mechanistic insight into how environmental aging changes microplastic interactions with organic pollutants like pesticides.