Erosion of rigid plastics in turbid (sandy) water: quantitative assessment for marine environments and formation of microplastics†

IF 4.3 3区 环境科学与生态学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL
Ali Al-Darraji, Ibukun Oluwoye, Christopher Lagat, Shuhei Tanaka and Ahmed Barifcani
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Abstract

Mechanical degradation (erosion) of plastics in the marine environment has been reported in many literature studies but without quantitative information. This type of degradation is crucial as it accounts for most of the initial microplastic products, in marine environments (e.g., rivers and oceans). Here, we quantify the erosion of plastics by water-borne sediments under typical perpendicular water velocities and sand loads of turbid rivers and coastal oceans. Polypropylene (PP) shows the highest response to water-borne erosion, with a surface degradation rate of 5160 μm per year (4.44 mg per mm2 per year), compared with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with a degradation rate of 1874 μm per year (1.79 mg per mm2 per year), resulting in the formation of microplastics (MPs). The rate of formation of such microplastic particles (>10 μm), as characterised by a laser direct infrared (LDIR) chemical imaging system, amounts to 669 particles per mm2 per year for PP and 187 particles per mm2 per year for HDPE, exhibiting average particle sizes of 60 μm and 23 μm in the same order. Furthermore, surface microscopy provided valuable insights into the dominant erosion mechanisms, revealing three distinct zones and the surface features reveal the brittle erosion behaviours. These results will enable a better assessment of degradation and lifetime prediction of plastics in turbid rivers and coastal oceans, allowing precise estimation of the rate of formation of MPs.

Abstract Image

Abstract Image

硬质塑料在浑浊(含沙)水中的侵蚀:对海洋环境和微塑料形成的定量评估。
许多文献研究都报道了塑料在海洋环境中的机械降解(侵蚀),但没有定量信息。在海洋环境(如河流和海洋)中,这种降解方式至关重要,因为它是大部分初始微塑料产品的来源。在此,我们对塑料在浑浊河流和沿岸海洋的典型垂直水速和含沙量条件下受水载沉积物侵蚀的情况进行了量化。聚丙烯(PP)对水流侵蚀的响应最高,其表面降解率为每年 5160 μm(每年每平方毫米 4.44 毫克),而高密度聚乙烯(HDPE)的降解率为每年 1874 μm(每年每平方毫米 1.79 毫克),从而形成了微塑料(MPs)。根据激光直接红外(LDIR)化学成像系统的表征,这种微塑料颗粒(大于 10 μm)的形成速率为:聚丙烯每年每平方毫米 669 个,高密度聚乙烯每年每平方毫米 187 个,平均粒径依次为 60 μm 和 23 μm。此外,表面显微镜还提供了对主要侵蚀机制的宝贵见解,揭示了三个不同的区域,其表面特征揭示了脆性侵蚀行为。这些结果将有助于更好地评估塑料在浑浊河流和沿岸海洋中的降解情况和寿命预测,从而精确估计 MPs 的形成速率。
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来源期刊
Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts
Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL-ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CiteScore
9.50
自引率
3.60%
发文量
202
审稿时长
1 months
期刊介绍: Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts publishes high quality papers in all areas of the environmental chemical sciences, including chemistry of the air, water, soil and sediment. We welcome studies on the environmental fate and effects of anthropogenic and naturally occurring contaminants, both chemical and microbiological, as well as related natural element cycling processes.
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