New versus naturally aged greenhouse cover films: Degradation and micro-nanoplastics characterization under sunlight exposure.

Autor: Sorasan C; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, E-28871 Madrid, Spain., Taladriz-Blanco P; International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Water Quality Group, Av. Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal; Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers, 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland. Electronic address: patricia.taladrizblanco@unifr.ch., Rodriguez-Lorenzo L; International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Water Quality Group, Av. Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal., Espiña B; International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Water Quality Group, Av. Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal., Rosal R; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, E-28871 Madrid, Spain.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2024 Mar 25; Vol. 918, pp. 170662. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Feb 03.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170662
Abstrakt: The understanding of microplastic degradation and its effects remains limited due to the absence of accurate analytical techniques for detecting and quantifying micro- and nanoplastics. In this study, we investigated the release of nanoplastics and small microplastics in water from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) greenhouse cover films under simulated sunlight exposure for six months. Our analysis included both new and naturally aged (used) cover films, enabling us to evaluate the impact of natural aging. Additionally, photooxidation effects were assessed by comparing irradiated and non-irradiated conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) confirmed the presence of particles below 1 μm in both irradiated and non-irradiated cover films. NTA revealed a clear effect of natural aging, with used films releasing more particles than new films but no impact of photooxidation, as irradiated and non-irradiated cover films released similar amounts of particles at each time point. Raman spectroscopy demonstrated the lower crystallinity of the released PE nanoplastics compared to the new films. Flow cytometry and total organic carbon data provided evidence of the release of additional material besides PE, and a clear effect of both simulated and natural aging, with photodegradation effects observed only for the new cover films. Finally, our results underscore the importance of studying the aging processes in both new and used plastic products using complementary techniques to assess the environmental fate and safety risks posed by plastics used in agriculture.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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