Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts最新文献

{"title":"Physicochemical differences between wildfire pyrogenic carbon and slow-pyrolysis biochar suggest variations in elemental transport potential†","authors":"Katherine N. Snihur, Lingyi Tang, Kelly J. Rozanitis, Daniela Gutierrez-Rueda, Cody N. Lazowski, Daniels Kononovs, Logan R. Swaren, Murray K. Gingras, Janice P. L. Kenney, Shannon L. Flynn, Kurt O. Konhauser and Daniel S. Alessi","doi":"10.1039/D4EM00558A","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4EM00558A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Wildfires play a crucial role in the carbon cycle. Their contribution to the global carbon cycle is expected to increase with climate change as fire activity, particularly in boreal forests, escalates. As 8–28% of annually produced pyrogenic carbon is transported through riverine systems, its impact on fluvial environmental conditions will likely increase in coming years. However, the impact of pyrogenic carbon on metal and nutrient transport remains poorly understood. Here, we compare the chemical composition of wildfire-derived pyrogenic carbon (F-PyC) with slow-pyrolysis biochar-derived pyrogenic carbon (B-PyC), both originating from the same mountainous boreal forest biomass, to determine if F-PyC shares physicochemical properties with artificial B-PyC. The results reveal notable differences in the physicochemical properties and bulk composition of F-PyC compared to B-PyC, even when both are produced under similarly high temperatures, due to the rapid heating and cooling during wildfires. These differences in pyrolysis conditions result in F-PyC having a smaller ash fraction (&lt;2.7% <em>vs.</em> &gt;5.0%), a more acidic pH (&lt;7.0 <em>vs.</em> &gt;7.8), and a less thermally mature mineral composition and surface functionality. Together these differences in properties result in markedly different leaching behaviors and suggest that F-PyC and slow pyrolysis B-PyC play different roles in elemental transport. Consequently, this work supports earlier claims that B-PyC is not a suitable proxy for the F-PyC, particularly with respect to elemental transport in fluvial environments. Our work highlights the necessity for research specifically focusing on F-PyC to accurately quantify the contribution of wildfires to global elemental cycling, presently and in the geologic past.</p>","PeriodicalId":74,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts","volume":" 5","pages":" 1458-1471"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/em/d4em00558a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143951567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantifying ambient concentration and emission profile of D5-siloxane of a residential neighborhood in the Greater Houston area†","authors":"Kyle P. McCary, Sining Niu, Alana J. Dodero, Yeaseul Kim, Heewon Yim, Sahir Gagan, Karsten Baumann, Timothy B. Onasch, Raghu Betha, Qi Ying and Yue Zhang","doi":"10.1039/D4EM00804A","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4EM00804A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Volatile chemical products (VCPs) in urban environments account for a significant portion of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs), enhancing the production of tropospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosols. Residential areas are an important source of VCPs in the urban environment, though few studies have examined the emission of VCPs in metropolitan areas from subtropical regions. To bridge the knowledge gap, this study aims to analyze the concentration and emission of D5-siloxane, a compound typically served as a tracer to characterize VCP emission from residential areas. The Texas A&amp;M mobile laboratory, equipped with a Vocus 2R Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIMS), and other gas and particle analyzers, continuously sampled the ambient gas phase concentration of D5-siloxane during a field deployment in a residential neighborhood near Houston, TX. A 0-D box model combining Planetary Boundary Layer Height (PBL) height, hourly D5-siloxane concentration, gas deposition velocities, and D5-siloxane reaction rate with hydroxyl radicals was constructed to represent emissions during our sampling period to derive the emission intensities of D5-siloxane. Monte Carlo statistical analysis was performed to gain insights into the emission profile of D5-siloxane, showing higher emission rates compared with other cities in North America but comparable to emissions of European cities. This study presents time-series concentrations and emissions of D5-siloxane in a subtropical residential area during the wintertime. The findings illustrate the temporal profile of D5-siloxane in a typical residential neighborhood in the Southeast United States and provide valuable data to enhance model parameterizations.</p>","PeriodicalId":74,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts","volume":" 5","pages":" 1266-1276"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/em/d4em00804a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143951265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the interactions of urinary metals and the mediating role of oxidative stress in Parkinson's disease risk: an epidemiological study in the elderly†","authors":"Chiqun Shan, Quanzhi Zheng, Mengyan Li, Yiming Ge, Junye Bian, Zhihong Huang, Zhihui Guo, Yuxuan Jiang, Pan Xu, Shaoyou Lu and Haobo Chen","doi":"10.1039/D5EM00166H","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EM00166H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Parkinson's disease (PD) ranks as the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, often leading to significant disability in affected individuals. Metal exposure has been implicated in PD, but the overall role, interactions among metal mixtures, and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we measured 8 essential and 2 potentially harmful metal trace elements in urine samples from PD patients (<em>n</em> = 96) and healthy controls (<em>n</em> = 162). The concentration of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker of oxidative damage, was also measured. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression analyses revealed that both increased exposure to manganese (Mn) and lead (Pb), and insufficient intake of chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), and cadmium (Cd) may increase the risk of PD. However, smoking may mediate the relationship between Cd and PD, and Cd itself may not exert a protective effect against PD. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and quantile-based g-calculation (QGC) models demonstrated that both metal deficiencies and excesses could increase the risk of PD, with Mn (73.7%) and Pb (9.3%) identified as the main contributors to PD risk. Furthermore, we observed an interaction between Mn and Cr, with Cr amplifying the promoting effect of Mn. Mediation analysis indicated that 8-OHdG mediated 11.6% of the total effect of Mn and Pb exposure on PD risk. Further research is required to explore specific metals' protective mechanisms and elucidate the interactions among different metals. Further longitudinal and cohort studies are required to better verify the causal link between metal exposure and PD.</p>","PeriodicalId":74,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts","volume":" 5","pages":" 1439-1447"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143951506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gaseous air pollution exposure and depression in middle-aged and elderly adults: evidence from a Chinese cohort†","authors":"Yumeng Zhou, Kexue Wang, Xiaoqing Wang, Enjie Tang, Hao Liu, Xiaoling Liu, Chunyan Yao, Liangmei Wang, Chunbei Zhou, Qianqian Li, Wuwei Xu, Wuqiang Lu, Ailing Ji and Tongjian Cai","doi":"10.1039/D5EM00187K","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EM00187K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Increasing research has investigated the impact of atmospheric gaseous air pollution on depression. However, the results have exhibited inconsistencies, and the majority of studies have focused on the impact of long- or short-term exposures. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of intermediate-term exposure to gaseous air pollution on depression in middle-aged and older adults. In 2013, 8639 participants aged 45 and above were enrolled in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Using a linear mixed-effects model, we examined the association between gaseous air pollution (NO<small>₂</small>, SO<small>₂</small>, CO, and O<small>₃</small>) and depression over intermediate-term exposure windows (30, 60, 90, and 180 days). Interaction and subgroup analyses were conducted to identify potential effect modifiers in the association. Every 10 μg m<small>⁻³</small> increase in NO<small>₂</small> and SO<small>₂</small> was associated with increased depression scores, with the most pronounced effects observed in the 30 day exposure window (<em>β</em> = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.25–0.85) and 60 day exposure window (<em>β</em> = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.52–0.99), respectively. For CO, every 1 mg m<small>⁻³</small> increase was associated with elevated depression scores in the 60 day exposure window (<em>β</em> = 1.28, 95% CI: 0.44–2.13). Interaction analyses revealed that individuals who consumed alcohol, lived in urban areas, or were married exhibited heightened susceptibility to the effects of gaseous air pollution on depression. Here, we provide the first evidence that intermediate-term gaseous air pollution exposure within specific temporal windows may substantially increase the risk of depression. It is important to prioritize individuals who consume alcohol, live in urban areas, and are married.</p>","PeriodicalId":74,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts","volume":" 5","pages":" 1472-1481"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143951530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research on agricultural grey water footprint/efficiency and identification of influencing factors in Henan Province†","authors":"Yanqi Zhao, Zhen Yang, Ying Yang, Xinxin Xue and Geng Cao","doi":"10.1039/D4EM00675E","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4EM00675E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Agricultural water pollution control is the key to alleviating the water crisis and promoting regional sustainable development. Grey water footprint (GWF) is an effective method that uses water consumption to measure water quality issues. In this study, we calculated agricultural GWF and its efficiency in 18 prefecture-level cities in Henan Province from 2001 to 2021 and analyzed their temporal and spatial characteristics using ArcGIS and the standard deviational ellipse (SDE) method. A logarithmic mean divisia index (LMDI) decomposition model was established to disassemble GWF efficiency into five key driving effects, and then, 18 prefecture-level cities were divided into seven driving modes. Results showed that (1) the agricultural GWF in Henan Province was mainly produced by the planting industry and mostly came from phosphate fertilizer. In terms of time, the agricultural GWF appeared in an inverted “U” shape from 2001 to 2021 and reached its peak in 2012. In spatial distribution, it is generally higher in the south than in the north. (2) Agricultural GWF efficiency in Henan Province presented an overall upward trend, and the SDE mean center moved from Zhengzhou to Xuchang from northeast to southwest in the south of Zhengzhou before 2017 and from northwest to southeast in Xuchang after 2017. (3) According to the contribution value of the five drivers of agricultural GWF efficiency, the 18 prefecture-level cities in Henan Province are divided into seven driving modes; thus, different agricultural water pollution controls and industrial structure adjustment management can be targeted.</p>","PeriodicalId":74,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts","volume":" 5","pages":" 1423-1438"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143953057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Are ingredients of personal care products likely to undergo long-range transport to remote regions?†","authors":"Marianna D'Amico, Frank Wania, Knut Breivik, Henrik Skov, Andrea Spolaor, Lise Lotte Sørensen, Andrea Gambaro and Marco Vecchiato","doi":"10.1039/D5EM00131E","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EM00131E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Personal care products (PCPs) contain contaminants of emerging concern. Despite increasing reports of their presence in polar regions, the behavior of PCP ingredients under cold environmental conditions remains poorly understood. Snow collected around Villum Research Station at Station Nord, Greenland, between December 2018 and June 2019 was extracted in a stainless steel clean-room and analyzed for seven fragrance materials, four organic UV-filters and an antioxidant using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. All twelve target PCPs were detected, with elevated concentrations during two sampling events potentially tied to air mass transport from northern Europe and the northern coasts of Russia. To contextualize the presence of these PCP chemicals in high Arctic snow, we estimated their (i) partitioning properties as a function of temperature, (ii) equilibrium phase distribution and dominant deposition processes in the atmosphere at temperatures above and below freezing, and (iii) potential for long-range environmental transport (LRET). Even though most PCPs are deemed to be gas phase chemicals predominantly deposited as vapors, rapid atmospheric degradation is expected to limit their LRET. On the other hand, the less volatile octocrylene is expected to be sorbed to atmospheric particles, removed <em>via</em> wet and dry particle deposition, and possibly exhibit a higher potential for LRET by being protected from attack by photooxidants. The contrast between consistent detection of PCP chemicals in high Arctic snow and relatively low estimated LRET potential emphasizes the need for further research on their real-world atmospheric behavior under cold conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":74,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts","volume":" 5","pages":" 1277-1290"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/em/d5em00131e?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144052971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Volatile organic compound emissions from a multi-unit residential building to ambient air.","authors":"Amirashkan Askari, Arthur W H Chan","doi":"10.1039/d4em00689e","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4em00689e","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Emerging sources, such as volatile chemical products (VCPs) and other non-traditional emission categories, are becoming increasingly important in urban air pollution as the contributions of recognized sources such as traffic and industrial emissions decline. Indoor emissions constitute a large fraction of organic gaseous species from these sources, making buildings potential contributors to ambient air pollution. This study illustrates building emissions by presenting findings from a sampling campaign in downtown Toronto, analyzing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the mechanical ventilation inlet and exhaust air streams of a multi-unit residential building (110 units). Due to indoor emissions, VOCs were detected more frequently and at higher concentrations (median levels higher by about 22%) in the exhaust stream than in the inlet stream, indicating that the building serves as a net VOC source to the ambient air. VCP-related species were consistently more abundant in the exhaust air, confirming the influence of indoor sources. In particular, median concentrations of volatile methyl siloxanes and monoterpenoids associated with emissions from adhesives, personal care products, and cleaning agents ranged from about 2-5 μg m^-3 in the exhaust stream in comparison with 0.2-0.5 μg m^-3 within the inlet stream. Source apportionment analysis of VOC concentrations across the exhaust and inlet airstreams revealed indoor emissions of siloxanes, monoterpenoids, and oxygenated VOCs from coatings, cleaners, and personal care products as primary contributors to exhaust stream trends. Net building VOC emissions, defined as the rate of outflowing minus the inflowing VOCs, were calculated from the measured concentrations and ventilation rates. The resulting values aligned with indoor emissions predicted from a published VCP emission inventory for Canada, emphasizing the pivotal impact of VCP indoor sources on urban air quality. Exhaust and inlet stream concentrations of VCP-related species were found to be significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) correlated, suggesting the building emissions influencing outdoor VOC levels. These results highlight the crucial impact of indoor emissions, especially from VCPs, on ambient air quality and the need for further research into indoor-to-outdoor pollutant transfer mechanisms to address urban air pollution.</p>","PeriodicalId":74,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143957120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Source apportionment, criteria derivation, and health risk assessment of heavy metals in urban green space soils†","authors":"Zirui Meng, Qing Xue, Ziyi Wang, Limin Liang, Xijie Ji, Xueqiang Lu, Xunqiang Mo and Mengxuan He","doi":"10.1039/D4EM00619D","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4EM00619D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Urban green spaces play a crucial role in maintaining urban resilience and offering opportunities for outdoor activities to residents. The potential hazards of heavy metals in the soils of these green spaces have raised significant concerns. A total of 130 topsoil samples containing seven heavy metals were collected from 50 urban green spaces in Tianjin, China. The study aimed to identify and quantify the potential sources of these heavy metals, establish general assessment criteria (GAC) for the metals, and evaluate the associated human health risks based on their concentration and sources. The findings indicated minimal pollution from heavy metals in the soils of Tianjin's urban green spaces. Through the use of positive matrix factorization (PMF), correlation analysis, and spatial interpolation, the study identified four main sources of heavy metals: traffic emissions, natural sources, industrial activities, and agricultural activities. Discrepancies between the contaminated land exposure assessment (CLEA) model-derived GAC and China's soil screening values were attributed to differences in land use scenarios. Moreover, concentration-specific health risk assessments revealed that protection area green spaces posed a higher risk to human health compared to park green spaces. The study also highlighted that natural factors correlated with cobalt and agricultural activities related to arsenic significantly contributed to non-carcinogenic risks in both adults and children. Arsenic-related agricultural activities were identified as key contributors to carcinogenic risks in children. The findings of this study are valuable for establishing soil quality standards, and provide a reference for the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution in urban greenfield soils as well as for the protection of the health of urban populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":74,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts","volume":" 5","pages":" 1341-1353"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143956029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tapwater exposures, residential risk, and mitigation in a PFAS-impacted-groundwater community†","authors":"Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Lee Donahue, Mark P. Gaikowski, Randy K. Hines, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Stephanie E. Gordon, Keith A. Loftin, Richard Blaine McCleskey, Shannon M. Meppelink and Molly L. Schreiner","doi":"10.1039/D5EM00005J","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EM00005J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Tapwater (TW) safety and sustainability are priorities in the United States. Per/polyfluoroalkyl substance(s) (PFAS) contamination is a growing public-health concern due to prolific use, widespread TW exposures, and mounting human-health concerns. Historically-rural, actively-urbanizing communities that rely on surficial-aquifer private wells incur elevated risks of unrecognized TW exposures, including PFAS, due to limited private-well monitoring and contaminant-source proliferation in urbanizing landscapes. Here, a broad-analytical-scope TW-assessment was conducted in a hydrologically-vulnerable, Mississippi River alluvial-island community, where PFAS contamination of the shallow-alluvial drinking-water aquifer has been documented, but more comprehensive contaminant characterization to inform decision-making is currently lacking. In 2021, we analyzed 510 organics, 34 inorganics, and 3 microbial groups in 11 residential and community locations to assess (1) TW risks beyond recognized PFAS issues, (2) day-to-day and year-to-year risk variability, and (3) suitability of the underlying sandstone aquifer as an alternative source to mitigate TW-PFAS exposures. Seventy-six organics and 25 inorganics were detected. Potential human-health risks of detected TW exposures were explored based on cumulative benchmark-based toxicity quotients (<em>∑</em><small>_TQ</small>). Elevated risks (<em>∑</em><small>_TQ</small> ≥ 1) from organic and inorganic contaminants were observed in all alluvial-aquifer-sourced synoptic samples but not in sandstone-aquifer-sourced samples. Repeated sampling at 3 sites over 52–55 h indicated limited variability in risk over the short-term. Comparable PFAS-specific <em>∑</em><small>_TQ</small> for spatial-synoptic, short-term (3 days) temporal, and long-term (3 years quarterly) temporal samples indicated that synoptic results provided useful insight into the risks of TW-PFAS exposures at French Island over the long-term. No PFAS detections in sandstone-aquifer-sourced samples over a 3 year period indicated no PFAS-associated risk and supported the sandstone aquifer as an alternative drinking-water source to mitigate community TW-PFAS exposures. This study illustrated the importance of expanded contaminant monitoring of private-well TW, beyond known concerns (in this case, PFAS), to reduce the risks of a range of unrecognized contaminant exposures.</p>","PeriodicalId":74,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts","volume":" 5","pages":" 1368-1388"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/em/d5em00005j?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143957640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Designing for degradation: the importance of considering biotic and abiotic polymer degradation†","authors":"Omar Tantawi, Wontae Joo, Elijah E. Martin, Sarah H. M. Av-Ron, K'yal R. Bannister, Kristala L. J. Prather, Bradley D. Olsen and Desiree L. Plata","doi":"10.1039/D5EM00079C","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EM00079C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Considering the increasing global plastic demand, there is a critical need to gain insight into environmental processes that govern plastic degradation in order to inform novel design of sustainable polymers. Current biological degradation testing standards focus on formation of CO<small>₂</small> (<em>i.e.</em>, mineralization) alone as a diagnostic, ultimately limiting identification of structure–degradation relationships in a timely fashion. This work developed a sequential abiotic (<em>i.e.</em>, photodegradation and hydrolysis) and biotic degradation test and applied it to a suite of 18 polymers, including ten lab produced, novel polyhydroxyalkanoate polyesters, and eight commercially available, bio-based (<em>i.e.</em>, polylactic acid and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate) and fossil-derived (<em>i.e.</em>, polystyrene, polypropylene, low density polyethylene, poly(ethylene terephthalate) and tire rubber) polymers. Biomineralization alone following standard methods (<em>i.e.</em>, ASTM 6691-17, ISO 23977-1 2020) underestimated polymer degradation up to two-fold over 28 days. Simulated sunlight enhanced the overall polymer degradation by mobilizing dissolved organic carbon (DOC). After photoirradiation, up to 100% of released dissolved organic carbon was bioavailable for marine microbes over 14 days. Photodegradation and hydrolysis could be explained by structural drivers in the commodity polymers, and the lab-synthesized polymers illustrated a limit to total degradation beyond which no enhancements in degradation were achieved. Taken together, this workflow allows for relatively fast experimental determination of environmentally relevant stimuli to help support eventual elucidation of structure–property relationships for enhanced <em>a priori</em> design of degradable polymers.</p>","PeriodicalId":74,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts","volume":" 5","pages":" 1303-1316"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/em/d5em00079c?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143953055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}