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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Role of polystyrene microplastics in the photodegradation of steroidal estrogens: Influencing factors, mechanism and aquatic toxicity assessment.
ClearUnderstanding microplastic aging driven by photosensitization of algal extracellular polymeric substances
Researchers found that substances released by algae significantly speed up the breakdown of polystyrene microplastics under sunlight. The algal compounds generate reactive molecules that attack the plastic surface, creating smaller fragments and releasing dissolved organic matter. The findings are particularly relevant for understanding how microplastics degrade in waterways affected by algal blooms.
The underestimated environmental risk of tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate photodegradation in aqueous environment induced by polystyrene microplastics
This study found that polystyrene microplastics in water speed up the breakdown of a common flame retardant chemical called TCEP, generating new compounds that are more toxic than TCEP itself. Sun-aged microplastics were especially effective at producing harmful reactive oxygen species that drove these chemical reactions. The research reveals an overlooked risk: microplastics do not just carry pollutants but can actively make them more dangerous through chemical interactions.
Photodegradation Controls of Potential Toxicity of Secondary Sunscreen-Derived Microplastics and Associated Leachates
Researchers studied how sunlight breaks down microplastics from sunscreen products and whether this makes them more or less toxic. They found that sunlight aging caused chemical changes on the plastic surfaces and released harmful compounds into the water, increasing toxicity to aquatic organisms. This is relevant because sunscreen microplastics are commonly washed into oceans and lakes, where sun exposure could make them more dangerous over time.
Releasing characteristics of toxic chemicals from polystyrene microplastics in the aqueous environment during photoaging process
This study revealed that as polystyrene microplastics age under UV light, they release a growing number of toxic chemicals including organic compounds and heavy metals into surrounding water. The rate of chemical release increased dramatically with aging time, meaning that weathered microplastics in the environment are more chemically hazardous than fresh ones, with implications for water quality and human exposure.
Photochemistry of microplastics-derived dissolved organic matter: Reactive species generation and organic pollutant degradation
Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released from degrading polystyrene and PVC microplastics behaves when exposed to sunlight in water. They found that sunlight breaks down the aromatic compounds in this plastic-derived material and generates reactive chemical species, though at lower rates than natural organic matter. Despite this, these reactive species significantly accelerated the breakdown of co-existing pollutants, suggesting that degrading microplastics may act as unexpected natural catalysts in aquatic environments.
Effects of photochlorination on the physicochemical transformation of polystyrene nanoplastics: Mechanism and environmental fate
Researchers studied how sunlight combined with chlorine in water treatment changes the properties of polystyrene nanoplastics. They found that solar irradiation significantly accelerated the chemical breakdown of the nanoplastics, including surface oxidation and the release of organic compounds. The study reveals that nanoplastics leaving wastewater treatment plants undergo rapid transformation in the environment, which could alter both their fate and toxicity.
New insights into the photo-degraded polystyrene microplastic: Effect on the release of volatile organic compounds
Researchers investigated how ultraviolet light breaks down polystyrene microplastics and what volatile organic compounds are released during the process. They found that while the physical properties of the microplastics changed only slightly during UV exposure, the particles released a variety of potentially harmful volatile chemicals. The study provides new insights into the secondary pollution risks posed by microplastics as they degrade in the environment.
Polystyrene microplastics sunlight-induce oxidative dissolution, chemical transformation and toxicity enhancement of silver nanoparticles
Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics can induce sunlight-driven oxidative dissolution and chemical transformation of silver nanoparticles, enhancing their toxicity and revealing important implications for how co-occurring pollutants interact in the environment.
Molecular characteristics and plastic additives in dissolved organic matter derived from polystyrene microplastics: Effects of cumulative irradiation and microplastic concentrations
This study investigated how ultraviolet light breaks down polystyrene microplastics and releases dissolved organic matter, including plastic additives, into the surrounding water. Greater UV exposure produced more complex chemical mixtures with higher levels of potentially toxic compounds. The findings are important because sunlight-driven breakdown of microplastics in the environment may release harmful chemicals into water sources that people use for drinking and recreation.
Microplastic removal from urban stormwater: Current treatments and research gaps
Researchers investigated the phototransformation of polystyrene microplastics under simulated solar radiation, finding surface oxidation and formation of carbonyl groups after UV exposure. Photo-aged particles showed increased release of dissolved organic carbon and greater toxicity to marine copepods.
Insight into chain scission and release profiles from photodegradation of polycarbonate microplastics
Researchers studied how sunlight breaks down polycarbonate microplastics in water and what chemicals are released in the process. The study found that UV exposure caused the plastics to fragment into smaller pieces while releasing bisphenol A (BPA) and other potentially harmful organic compounds. Importantly, BPA accounted for only a small fraction of the total chemicals released, suggesting that many unknown degradation products are also entering aquatic environments.
Polystyrene microplastics accelerated photodegradation of co-existed polypropylene via photosensitization of polymer itself and released organic compounds
Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics can accelerate the breakdown of polypropylene microplastics when both are present together in water exposed to sunlight. The polystyrene acts as a photosensitizer, generating reactive oxygen species that speed up the oxidation and fragmentation of polypropylene. The finding reveals that different types of microplastics can interact with each other in unexpected ways, potentially accelerating the generation of even smaller plastic particles in the environment.
Photochemical weathering of polyurethane microplastics produced complex and dynamic mixtures of dissolved organic chemicals
Researchers studied how sunlight breaks down polyurethane microplastics in ocean surface waters and what chemical byproducts are released. The study found that photochemical weathering produced complex and constantly changing mixtures of dissolved organic chemicals, with different polyurethane types releasing different compounds. The findings reveal that while sunlight helps degrade microplastics, the resulting chemical cocktails may themselves pose environmental risks.
Molecular-level insights into the heterogeneous variations and dynamic formation mechanism of leached dissolved organic matter during the photoaging of polystyrene microplastics
Researchers investigated the molecular-level changes that occur when polystyrene microplastics break down under light exposure and release dissolved organic matter into water. They found that the released molecules were highly diverse and changed dynamically over the course of aging, with different chemical classes appearing at different stages. The study provides new insight into how degrading microplastics introduce complex mixtures of organic chemicals into aquatic environments.
Aging of Polystyrene Micro/Nanoplastics Enhances Cephalosporin Phototransformation via Structure-Sensitive Interfacial Hydrogen Bonding
Researchers found that aged polystyrene micro and nanoplastics significantly speed up the breakdown of common antibiotics (cephalosporins) in water when exposed to sunlight. The aged plastic surfaces generate reactive chemicals that attack the antibiotics, and the effect depends on how the antibiotic molecule binds to the plastic surface. This is important because it shows microplastics can actively change the chemical environment around them, potentially affecting how pollutants behave in waterways.
Insights into the Photoaging Behavior of Microplastics: Environmental Fate and Ecological Risk
This review examines how sunlight ages microplastics in the environment, breaking them into smaller pieces and changing their surface chemistry in ways that make them more toxic and more likely to carry other pollutants. Sun-aged microplastics release dissolved organic matter that can harm aquatic life, and their roughened surfaces attract more bacteria and chemical contaminants. Since most microplastics in nature have been exposed to sunlight, their real-world health risks may be higher than studies using fresh lab plastics suggest.
Swelling-Induced Fragmentation and Polymer Leakage of Nanoplastics in Seawater
Researchers tracked polystyrene nanoplastics in seawater over 29 days under simulated sunlight and found that light accelerates aggregation, while also inducing swelling and fragmentation of particles and leaching of polymer components, complicating predictions of nanoplastic fate and risk in marine environments.
Insight into microplastic-derived DOM modulation of interfacial reactive pathways in covalent triazine framework photocatalysis
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles in water break down into dissolved chemicals that can actually help clean up harmful pollutants like BPA (a chemical linked to health problems). When these plastic-derived chemicals interact with special cleaning materials that use light, they boost the breakdown of dangerous substances in water. This discovery could lead to better ways to clean contaminated water, though more research is needed to understand the full health impacts of these plastic-derived chemicals themselves.
PhotodegradationElevated the Toxicity of PolystyreneMicroplastics to Grouper (Epinephelus moara) throughDisrupting Hepatic Lipid Homeostasis
UV light exposure made polystyrene microplastics more toxic to juvenile fish than either fresh or commercial polystyrene microbeads. Photodegradation reduced particle size, created nanoplastics, and caused surface oxidation, all of which increased harm to fish — suggesting that environmental weathering of plastic pollution may make it more dangerous over time.
Effect of ozonation on the morphological characteristics and adsorption behavior of polystyrene microplastics in aqueous environments
Researchers exposed polystyrene microplastics to ozone treatment and found that the aging process made the particles smaller, more negatively charged, and better at absorbing pollutants from water — meaning weathered microplastics in the environment may carry more harmful chemicals than fresh ones.
Polystyrene microplastics enhanced the photo-degradation and -ammonification of algae-derived dissolved organic matters
Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics affect the breakdown of organic matter released by algae when exposed to UV light. They found that the presence of microplastics accelerated the degradation of amino acid-like compounds and increased ammonia production compared to UV exposure alone. The study suggests that microplastics can act as environmental photosensitizers, potentially altering nutrient cycling in natural water bodies.
Photodegradation Elevated the Toxicity of Polystyrene Microplastics to Grouper (Epinephelus moara) through Disrupting Hepatic Lipid Homeostasis
Researchers compared the toxicity of pristine, UV-photodegraded, and commercial polystyrene microplastics in juvenile grouper fish. The study found that photodegradation significantly elevated the toxicity of microplastics by disrupting hepatic lipid homeostasis, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the environment may be more harmful than their pristine counterparts.
Long-term phototransformation of microplastics under simulated sunlight irradiation in aquatic environments: Roles of reactive oxygen species
Researchers examined the long-term photodegradation of polystyrene microplastics under simulated sunlight in aquatic conditions, finding that reactive oxygen species — particularly hydroxyl radicals and singlet oxygen — were the primary drivers of surface oxidation and fragmentation into nanoplastics.
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.