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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to TheOverlooked Driver of Microplastic Chemical Oxidationin Cold Soils: Reactive Oxygen Species Generation Mediated by Freeze–ThawCycles
ClearThe Overlooked Driver of Microplastic Chemical Oxidation in Cold Soils: Reactive Oxygen Species Generation Mediated by Freeze–Thaw Cycles
Researchers found that freeze-thaw cycles selectively oxidize microplastics containing conjugated aromatic structures such as PET and polystyrene through reactive oxygen species generation during the initial freezing phase, while non-aromatic polymers like polyethylene and polyamide undergo no oxidative aging under the same conditions.
Freeze-thaw aged polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics alter enzyme activity and microbial community composition in soil
This study found that when polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics go through freeze-thaw cycles (as they would in cold-climate soils), their surfaces change in ways that alter soil enzyme activity and shift microbial communities. These findings matter because changes in soil microbes can affect nutrient cycling and crop health, with potential downstream effects on human food systems.
Accelerated Degradation of Microplastics at the Liquid Interface of Ice Crystals in Frozen Aqueous Solutions
Researchers discovered that microplastics degrade exceptionally fast in frozen environments, where polystyrene particles become trapped between ice crystals and react with concentrated oxygen to produce singlet oxygen, driving rapid oxidation at freezing temperatures.
Freezing-induced microplastic degradation in an anoxic Fe(ii)-containing solution: the key role of Fe(iv) and ·OH
Researchers found that freezing accelerates microplastic degradation in iron-containing anoxic solutions, driven by highly reactive iron(IV) species and hydroxyl radicals generated through freeze-induced concentration of iron cycling reactions.
Significant contribution of different sources of particulate organic matter to the photoaging of microplastics
Researchers discovered that particulate organic matter from different natural sources can significantly accelerate the aging of microplastics when exposed to UV light. Organic matter from peat soil showed the strongest effect, generating reactive oxygen species that broke down plastic surfaces more quickly. The study suggests that natural organic matter in the environment plays a larger role in microplastic degradation than previously recognized.
Revealing the Freezing-Induced Alteration in Microplastic Behavior and Its Implication for the Microplastics Released from Seasonal Ice
Researchers revealed how freeze-thaw cycling alters microplastic behavior in environmental matrices, finding that freezing changes particle aggregation, surface properties, and transport dynamics with implications for polar and seasonally frozen environments.
Freeze-thaw aging increases the toxicity of microplastics to earthworms and enriches pollutant-degrading microbial genera
This study found that microplastics aged by freeze-thaw cycles, which happen naturally in cold climates, became more toxic to earthworms than fresh microplastics. The aged particles caused more oxidative stress and disrupted the worms' gut bacteria and metabolism. Since earthworms are essential for soil health and agriculture, this increased toxicity could affect the quality of soil used to grow food.
Freeze-thaw alternations accelerate plasticizers release and pose a risk for exposed organisms
Researchers investigated how freeze-thaw cycles in agricultural soils of Liaoning, China accelerate the release of phthalate ester (PAE) plasticizers from plastic mulch film residues and microplastics. They found that freeze-thaw alternations significantly increased PAE leaching and that bioaccumulation in exposed organisms poses a potential ecotoxicological risk in cold agricultural regions.
Polymer-specific transformation of microplastics under soil freeze–thaw versus UV aging: Multiscale insights into atrazine interaction mechanisms
Long-term soil incubation experiments showed that different polymer types transform distinctively under real soil conditions, with some plastics fragmenting rapidly while others persist with minimal change. Polymer-specific fate data are essential for accurate risk assessment and regulatory decisions about plastic use in agriculture.
Chemical and photo-initiated aging enhances transport risk of microplastics in saturated soils: Key factors, mechanisms, and modeling
Researchers aged polystyrene microplastics using three oxidation methods and then studied their transport through saturated soil columns, finding that aging significantly increased surface hydrophilicity and mobility, with UV-activated persulfate oxidation producing the most mobile particles.
Effect of Temperature,Snow-Ice, Particle Size, andPolymer Type on Photolysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Adsorbedon Microplastics under UV Irradiation
Researchers investigated how temperature, snow-ice conditions, particle size, and polymer type affect the photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed on microplastics under UV irradiation, finding that environmental variables substantially modulate PAH degradation rates on plastic surfaces.
Effect of Temperature,Snow-Ice, Particle Size, andPolymer Type on Photolysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Adsorbedon Microplastics under UV Irradiation
Researchers investigated how temperature, snow-ice conditions, particle size, and polymer type affect the photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed on microplastics under UV irradiation, finding that environmental variables substantially modulate PAH degradation rates on plastic surfaces.
Mechanism of nanoplastics altering soil carbon turnover under freeze-thaw cycle
Researchers used rare earth oxide tracers and carbon-13 isotope labeling combined with soil microstructure scanning CT to study how nanoplastics alter soil carbon cycling under freeze-thaw conditions. Nanoplastics destabilized soil aggregates during freeze-thaw cycles, accelerating organic carbon turnover and potentially increasing CO2 emissions from cold-region soils.
Effect of Temperature, Snow-Ice, Particle Size, and Polymer Type on Photolysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Adsorbed on Microplastics under UV Irradiation
Researchers investigated how temperature, snow-ice cover, particle size, and polymer type influence the photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed onto microplastics under UV irradiation, finding that these environmental variables significantly affect PAH degradation rates and pathways.
Fate of microplastics in soil-water systems: View from free radicals driven by global climate change
This review examines how naturally occurring free radicals in soil and water can break down microplastics, and how climate change is altering this process. Changes in temperature, UV radiation, and moisture levels affect the types and amounts of free radicals produced, which in turn changes how quickly microplastics degrade. Understanding this relationship is important because climate-driven changes could either speed up or slow down microplastic breakdown, affecting how long these particles persist in the environment.
Pyrolysis temperature matters: Biochar-derived dissolved organic matter modulates aging behavior and biotoxicity of microplastics
Researchers found that dissolved organic matter from biochar (a charcoal-like soil additive) affects how microplastics age in the environment by generating reactive oxygen species that alter the plastic surfaces. Importantly, microplastics aged in the presence of biochar-derived compounds caused significantly more inflammation and tissue damage in living organisms than freshly made microplastics. This means microplastics in the real world, where they interact with soil compounds, may be more toxic than laboratory tests with clean plastic particles suggest.
Weathering of agricultural polyethylene films in cold climate regions: which parameters influence fragmentation?
Researchers studied the natural weathering of agricultural polyethylene mulch films in cold climate regions to identify which parameters accelerate their fragmentation into microplastics. They found that a combination of environmental factors contributes to the breakdown process, which can also lead to leaching of chemical additives. The findings highlight the importance of understanding how agricultural plastics degrade in different climates to assess their contribution to soil microplastic pollution.
Freeze-thaw cycles and biodegradable microplastics alter the microbial degradation of atrazine in mollisols
Researchers investigated the combined effects of freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) and biodegradable PBAT microplastics on microbial degradation of atrazine in Mollisols, finding that FTCs inhibited atrazine biodegradation by an average of 33.69% while microplastics had a much smaller effect of 4.99%. Thawing temperature was identified as the primary driver of shifts in soil microbial community structure that underlie changes in atrazine degradation rates.
Molecular transformation and photochemical reactivity of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter on goethite: Implications for persistence and reactive oxygen species dynamics
Researchers investigated how microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter interacts with the mineral goethite and how this affects its photochemical reactivity. They found that different plastic types produced distinct chemical behaviors: polystyrene-derived matter underwent sulfonation that enhanced reactive oxygen species formation, while polyethylene-derived matter remained relatively inert. The study suggests that microplastic-derived organic matter persists differently in soil depending on its polymer origin and mineral interactions.
Impact of freeze-thaw cycles on the remobilization behaviors of microplastics in natural soils
Freeze-thaw cycling significantly promoted the remobilization of plastic particles (0.2 and 1 µm) retained in natural soils and quartz sand during subsequent water flushing, with natural soils retaining more particles initially but showing comparable release upon thaw due to pore structure disruption.
Thermal oxidation, ultraviolet radiation, and mechanical abrasion - understanding mechanisms of microplastic generation and chemical transformation
Researchers evaluated how consumer-derived polymers fragment and chemically transform when exposed to UV radiation or thermal oxidation followed by soil abrasion. The study found that these combined weathering processes, which mimic real-world environmental conditions, significantly affect the rate and type of microplastic generation. The results highlight how everyday use and environmental exposure work together to break down plastics into microplastic particles.
Molecular Trojan Effect of Microplastic Diethyl Phthalate Drives Multiscale Stress Vortex through Interfacial Engineering in Cold Agroecosystems during Freeze–Thaw Cycles
In a 120-day full-lifecycle soil cultivation experiment, researchers combined microplastic diethyl phthalate with freeze-thaw cycles to simulate cold agroecosystem conditions, and used molecular dynamics and multi-omics to characterize the resulting plant and soil stress. The plastic additive caused compounding oxidative and hormonal stress in plants that was amplified under freeze-thaw conditions, revealing a novel "Trojan effect" in cold-climate agricultural soils.
Dissolved Organic Matter Promotes the Aging Process of Polystyrene Microplastics under Dark and Ultraviolet Light Conditions: The Crucial Role of Reactive Oxygen Species
Researchers found that dissolved organic matter commonly present in natural water environments accelerates the aging and degradation of polystyrene microplastics under both dark and ultraviolet light conditions. The study identified reactive oxygen species as the crucial driver of this aging process, with fulvic acid showing a stronger effect than humic acid due to its greater ability to generate semiquinone radicals.
Effects of microplastic aging on its detectability and physico-chemical properties in loess and sandy soil
This study compared fresh microplastics to aged particles collected from soil and found that weathering significantly changes their physical and chemical properties, including making them more mobile. Aged microplastics may behave very differently in the environment than the pristine particles typically used in laboratory studies.