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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Developing environmentally relevant test materials for microplastic research through UV-induced photoaging
ClearDeveloping environmentally relevant test materials for microplastic research through UV-induced photoaging
Researchers used UV irradiation to create photoaged microplastics from multiple polymer types as environmentally relevant test materials for ecotoxicology research, characterizing how aging changes surface chemistry, particle size distribution, and potential biological effects.
Accelerated Weathering of Microplastics: A Systematic Approach to Model Microplastic Production
Researchers developed a systematic laboratory method for producing environmentally realistic microplastics through accelerated UV weathering of common polymer types. The approach generates particles with surface degradation patterns that closely mimic those found in nature, unlike commercially available test beads. The study provides a reproducible protocol that could improve the relevance of microplastic toxicity and environmental fate studies.
New approach to produce accelerated aged microplastics standard
Researchers developed a new approach to produce accelerated aged microplastic standard materials by subjecting polymer particles to simulated weathering conditions, generating reference materials that more accurately reflect the degraded chemical and physical properties of microplastics found in real environmental samples.
New approach to produce accelerated aged microplastics standard
Researchers developed a new approach to produce accelerated-aged microplastic reference standards that more closely resemble environmentally weathered particles, accounting for the range of polymer types, shapes, sizes, and degradation conditions that determine real-world microplastic properties.
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.
Linking UV aging of polymers and microplastics formation: An assessment employing various characterization techniques
Researchers examined the link between UV aging of plastic polymers and the generation of microplastics in marine environments, using environmental assessment tools to model the process. The study clarifies how photodegradation rates and polymer type influence the rate and quantity of microplastic formation.
Preparation of Degraded Microplastics That Imitate Surface Properties in the Environment
Researchers developed laboratory methods to prepare degraded microplastics that accurately mimic the surface properties of environmentally weathered particles, filling a gap in toxicology research that often uses pristine plastic beads instead of realistic aged particles. The study characterized how surface chemistry, roughness, and charge of laboratory-degraded microplastics compare to those collected from natural environments.
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.
Mimicking the environmental ageing of polymers for the preparation of model microplastics
Researchers developed a laboratory methodology to reproduce environmental polymer degradation by combining photodegradation and mechanical stress (UV aging followed by either cryomilling or gentle stirring), producing microplastics closer in size, shape, and composition to those found in nature. Particles produced via the soft stirring protocol were more stable in water and better retained the chemical composition of the parent material compared to cryomilled particles.
Laboratory simulated aging methods, mechanisms and characteristic changes of microplastics: A review
This review examines the different laboratory methods scientists use to artificially age microplastics to study how they change over time in the environment. UV light, heat, chemical oxidation, and biological processes all alter the surface, size, and chemical properties of microplastics in different ways. Understanding how aging changes microplastics is important because weathered particles in the real world may be more toxic and carry more pollutants than the fresh plastics typically used in lab studies.
Linking UV aging of polymers and microplastics formation: An assessment employing various characterization techniques
This study used environmental assessment tools to model how UV aging of plastic polymers drives microplastic formation in marine environments. The analysis identified polymer-specific degradation rates and environmental conditions that accelerate the conversion of plastic debris into microplastics.
UVA-induced weathering of microplastics in seawater: surface property transformations and kinetics
Researchers studied how UVA radiation weathers microplastics in seawater, examining changes to surface properties and degradation rates. The study developed a model integrating an aging index with degradation kinetics, finding that UV exposure significantly transforms microplastic surface characteristics, which affects their behavior and potential ecological impact in marine environments.
Study on the impact of photoaging on the generation of very small microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) and the wettability of plastic surface
Experiments using UV light to artificially age six common plastic types showed that sunlight (photoaging) accelerates the breakdown of plastics into very small microplastics and nanoplastics and makes plastic surfaces rougher and more chemically reactive. Understanding how different polymer structures respond to light aging is important for predicting which plastics will fragment fastest in the environment and generate the most hazardous small particles.
Environmental Degradation of Microplastics: How to Measure Fragmentation Rates to Secondary Micro- and Nanoplastic Fragments and Dissociation into Dissolved Organics
Researchers developed an adapted protocol for measuring UV-driven fragmentation of microplastics into nano-sized fragments and dissolved organics, providing a standardized method to better understand microplastic degradation rates in the environment.
Elaborating more realistic model microplastics by simulating polypropylene's environmental ageing
This study developed more realistic model microplastics by simulating the environmental aging of polypropylene, producing laboratory particles with surface chemistry, roughness, and density closer to field-collected environmental microplastics.
Approaches for the preparation and evaluation of hydrophilic polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastic particles suited for toxicological effect studies
Researchers developed methods to create large quantities of artificially aged, hydrophilic microplastic particles from PET and polyethylene, eliminating the need for surfactants in toxicity experiments. Using alkaline and acidic treatments, they produced particles smaller than 5 micrometers with significantly increased water compatibility. These standardized, aged particles better represent real-world microplastics and could improve the consistency and relevance of laboratory toxicity studies.
Laboratory simulation of microplastics weathering and its adsorption behaviors in an aqueous environment: A systematic review
UV photo-oxidation and physical abrasion are the most practical laboratory methods for simulating microplastic weathering; aging increases surface area and oxygen-containing functional groups, altering pollutant adsorption behavior and potentially increasing environmental risks.
UV sources and plastic composition influence microplastic surface degradation: Implications for plastic weathering studies
This study tested how different UV light sources change the surface of common microplastics like polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene. The results show that sunlight and lab UV lights weather plastics differently, changing their surface roughness and chemical makeup -- which matters because these surface changes affect how microplastics transport pollutants and interact with living organisms in the environment.
Are we really producing environmentally relevant reference materials for microplastic studies?
This study evaluated whether laboratory-produced microplastic reference materials used in research adequately represent the physical and chemical properties of particles found in natural environments. Results found substantial differences between commercially available reference materials and environmentally weathered microplastics, undermining the ecological relevance of studies using pristine materials.
Progress on the photo aging mechanism of microplastics and related impact factors in water environment
This review examined the photo-aging mechanisms of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that solar UV radiation drives oxidation reactions that alter surface chemistry, fragment particles further, and enhance their capacity to adsorb and release co-occurring pollutants.
Implications of a New Test Facility for Fragmentation Investigations on Virgin (Micro)plastics
Researchers designed a new test facility for studying plastic fragmentation under UV radiation and mechanical stress, demonstrating that controlled laboratory conditions can replicate environmental weathering processes and generate reproducible microplastic fragmentation data.
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.
Marine microplastic: Preparation of relevant test materials for laboratory assessment of ecosystem impacts
Researchers developed methods to prepare environmentally realistic marine microplastic test materials from weathered plastic litter for laboratory ecotoxicology studies, addressing the limitation that most prior research used pristine, homogeneous plastics that do not reflect real-world microplastic complexity.
UV-degradation is a key driver of the fate and impacts of marine plastics. How can laboratory experiments be designed to effectively inform risk assessment?
Researchers reviewed laboratory studies on how UV light breaks down marine plastics, finding that sunlight-driven degradation is the primary force fragmenting plastics into micro- and nanoplastics and releasing toxic chemicals into seawater, while calling for better-standardized experiments to make lab findings more applicable to real ocean conditions.