Polystyrene microplastics enhanced the photo-degradation and -ammonification of algae-derived dissolved organic matters

Abstract

Algae-derived organic matter (ADOM) is a key source of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in natural waters. When exposed to solar irradiation, ADOM undergoes gradual degradation and transformation. The escalating presence of microplastics (MPs) can act as a novel type of environmental photosensitizer, however its impacts on ADOM photodegradation remains largely unexplored. Thus, in this study, ADOM were extracted from four common algal species (Microcystis aeruginosa, Synechococcus sp., Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus obliquus) and exposed to UV irradiation with or without polystyrene (PS) MPs, namely ADOM+PS groups and ADOM groups, respectively. The results indicated that a more rapid degradation of amino acid-like substances (~38% vs. ~22%) and more ammonia products (1.86 vs. 1.21 mg L^-1) were observed in the ADOM+PS groups compared to the ADOM groups after a five-day exposure. This enhanced photodegradation might be attributed to the production of environmentally persistent free radicals and reactive species during the photoaging of PS. Furthermore, PS-derived high electron transfer belt activity of ADOM led to the production of highly aromatic and humified products. These humic-like products could potentially accelerate the degradation of amino acid-like compounds by exciting the generation of excited triplet CDOM. This study underscores the role of MPs as environmental photosensitizers in promoting ADOM degradation and ammonia generation, providing insights on the transformation of ADOM mediated by emerging pollutants and its impact on aquatic carbon and nitrogen cycles.