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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to From macroplastic to microplastic: Degradation of high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene in a salt marsh habitat
ClearMicroplastics Generation: Onset of Fragmentation of Polyethylene Films in Marine Environment Mesocosms
Researchers investigated how high-density polyethylene films from plastic bags fragment into microplastics under simulated beach and nearshore conditions over six months. The study found that natural sunlight exposure on sand or in seawater caused measurable degradation, providing evidence for how everyday plastic bags break down into microplastic particles in marine environments.
Aging simulation of thin-film plastics in different environments to examine the formation of microplastic
Researchers aged polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene thin films under land, freshwater, estuarine, and oceanic conditions, finding that UV radiation was the primary driver of surface degradation and microplastic formation, with degradation rates varying substantially by environmental medium.
Weathering Processand Characteristics of Microplasticsin Coastal Wetlands: A 24-Month In Situ Study
Researchers conducted a 24-month study of microplastic weathering in coastal wetlands, characterizing how wetland-specific conditions including UV exposure, salinity, and biological activity alter plastic surface chemistry, fragmentation, and biofilm colonization over time.
Weathering Process and Characteristics of Microplastics in Coastal Wetlands: A 24-Month In Situ Study
Researchers placed five types of common microplastics in a coastal wetland for 24 months and tracked how they broke down over time. All plastics showed increasing surface damage, chemical changes, and fragmentation, with polystyrene degrading the fastest. The study demonstrates that natural environments actively break microplastics into ever-smaller pieces, which are more easily taken up by organisms and can eventually enter the human food chain.
Degradation of bio-based and biodegradable plastics in a salt marsh habitat: Another potential source of microplastics in coastal waters
All types of plastic tested in a salt marsh environment, including supposedly biodegradable alternatives, produced microplastic particles within four weeks. Conventional plastics and compostable bags generated the most microplastics over the full 32-week study, raising questions about whether biodegradable plastics are truly safer for coastal environments.
Degradation of low-density polyethylene to nanoplastic particles by accelerated weathering
Researchers demonstrated that accelerated weathering of low-density polyethylene produces nanoplastic particles, providing experimental evidence for the degradation pathway from macro-plastics to nanoscale fragments in the environment.
On mechanical fragmentation of single-use plastics in the sea swash zone with different types of bottom sediments: Insights from laboratory experiments
Laboratory experiments simulated wave action and beach conditions to study how four common plastic types mechanically fragment from centimeter-scale pieces into microplastics, with fragmentation rates depending on plastic type and sediment composition. Understanding these fragmentation dynamics helps explain how beach plastic litter generates the microplastic particles found in coastal environments.
Macro-plastic weathering in a coastal environment: field experiment in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
Field experiments in Chesapeake Bay tracked how macroplastic items of different polymer types weathered and fragmented over time in a coastal environment. The study found that UV exposure and wave action caused rapid surface degradation and fragmentation, with important implications for how quickly plastic pollution generates secondary microplastics in coastal zones.
Degradation of polyethylene microplastics in seawater: Insights into the environmental degradation of polymers
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics degrade in artificial seawater and found that exposure led to surface oxidation, cracking, and fragmentation over time. The study suggests that environmental degradation of microplastics in marine settings may generate progressively smaller particles, including nanoplastics, while also releasing chemical additives into surrounding waters.
Aging of Microplastics across a Constructed Wetland
Researchers studied the weathering and microbial colonization of five microplastic polymer types over 18 months within four habitat zones of a constructed wastewater wetland, finding that microorganisms colonized plastics rapidly and that weathering rates varied by polymer type and habitat.
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.
Studying the Presence and Distribution of Microplastics in a Norfolk Salt Marsh
Researchers investigated the presence and distribution of microplastics in a Norfolk salt marsh, examining whether fundamental sedimentation processes and dense vegetation make salt marshes significant long-term sinks for microplastic accumulation in coastal environments.
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.
Aging of Microplasticsacross a Constructed Wetland
Researchers tracked the aging of five microplastic polymer types — LDPE, HDPE, polypropylene, polystyrene, and PET — across four habitats within a wastewater constructed wetland over 18 months, finding that physical, chemical, and biological processes jointly drive weathering and microorganism colonisation of plastics in these treatment systems.
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.
Difference in polypropylene fragmentation mechanism between marine and terrestrial regions
Researchers compared how polypropylene plastic fragments differently in marine versus terrestrial environments, finding that ocean-exposed plastic shows a distinct delamination pattern while land-based plastic shows surface abrasion. Understanding these mechanisms helps predict how and where microplastics are generated from larger plastic debris.
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.
Polyethylene plastic degradation: The dual pathways from macroplastics to nanoplastics
Researchers traced the dual degradation pathways of polyethylene from large plastic items down to microplastics and eventually nanoplastics, mapping both mechanical fragmentation and chemical oxidation routes. Understanding the full breakdown continuum helps quantify how much of the plastic mass ends up as invisible nanoscale particles.