Long-term phototransformation of microplastics under simulated sunlight irradiation in aquatic environments: Roles of reactive oxygen species

• Published in: Water research (Oxford) Vol. 173; p. 115564
• Main Authors: Zhu, Kecheng, Jia, Hanzhong, Sun, Yajiao, Dai, Yunchao, Zhang, Chi, Guo, Xuetao, Wang, Tiecheng, Zhu, Lingyan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.04.2020
• Subjects: aquatic environment; Aquatic environments; Environmentally persistent free radicals; Hydrogen Peroxide; irradiation; lighting; Microplastics; nanoplastics; particle size; photoaging; photolysis; Phototransformation; Plastics; Polystyrene microplastic; polystyrenes; Reactive Oxygen Species; Sunlight; surface roughness; water; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Phototransformation; Reactive oxygen species; Polystyrene microplastic; Environmentally persistent free radicals; Aquatic environments

Microplastics may experience photoaging and breakdown into nanoplastics in aquatic environment as a result of long-term light irradiation. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for the photodegradation of microplastics are largely overlooked. In this study, the photodegradation of microplas...