Photochemical Dissolution of Buoyant Microplastics to Dissolved Organic Carbon

Photochemical dissolution of buoyant microplastics to dissolved organic carbon:
Rates and microbial impacts

Authors : Lixin Zhua, Shiye Zha, Thais B. Bittar, AronS tubbins, Daoj iLi

Abstract : 

Trillions of plastic fragments are afloat at sea, yet they represent only 1–2% of the plastics entering the ocean annually. The fate of the missing plastic and its impact on marine life remains largely unknown. To address these unknowns, we irradiated post-consumer microplastics (polyethylene, PE; polypropylene, PP; and expanded polystyrene, EPS), standard PE, and plastic-fragments collected from the surface waters of the North Pacific Gyre under a solar simulator. We report that simulated sunlight can remove plastics from the sea surface. Simulated sunlight also fragmented, oxidized, and altered the color of the irradiated polymers.

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is identified as a major byproduct of sunlight-driven plastic photodegradation. Rates of removal depended upon polymer chemistry with EPS degrading more rapidly than PP, and PE being the most photo-resistant polymer studied. The DOC released as most plastics photodegraded was readily utilized by marine bacteria. However, one sample of PE microplastics released organics or co-leachates that inhibited microbial growth. Thus, although sunlight may remove plastics from the ocean’s surface, leachates formed during plastic photodegradation may have mixed impacts on ocean microbes and the food webs they support.

Graphical abstract:

Keywords : Marine debrisMicroplasticsPhotochemistryDissolved organic carbonMicrobial impact

Published in  Journal of Hazardous Materials, February 2020

DOI : 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121065

Source: ScienceDirect

Taxonomy

• Marine
• Marine litter
• Marine Micro-pollutants
• microplastics
• marine research