S. S. Alavian Petroody (Author), Seyed Hossein Hashemi (Author), Luka Škrlep (Author), Branka Mušič (Author), Cornelis A. M. van Gestel (Author), Andrijana Sever Škapin (Author)

Abstract

Bio-solids (biological sludge) from wastewater treatment plants are a significant source of the emission of microplastics (MPs) into the environment. Weakening the structure of MPs before they enter the environment may accelerate their degradation and reduce the environmental exposure time. Therefore, we studied the effect of UV-A and UV-C, applied at 70 °C, on three types of MPs, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), that are commonly found in sewage sludge, using three shapes (fibers, lines, granules). The MPs were exposed to UV radiation in bio-solid suspensions, and to air and water as control. The structural changes in and degradation of the MPs were investigated using Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (ATR-FTIR) and surface morphology was performed with SEM analysis. UV exposure led to the emergence of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups in all of the PP samples. In PE and PET, these groups were formed only in the bio-solid suspensions. The presence of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups increased with an increasing exposure time. Overall, UV radiation had the greatest impact on the MPs in the bio-solids suspension. Due to the surface-to-volume ratio of the tested samples, which influences the degradation rate, the fibers were more degraded than the other two plastic shapes. UV-A was slightly more effective at degrading the MPs than UV-C. These findings show that ultraviolet radiation in combination with an elevated temperature affects the structure of polymers in wastewater bio-solids, which can accelerate their degradation.

Keywords

mikroplastika;degradacija;hidroksil;karbonil;ultravijolična svetloba;microplastics;degradation;hydroxyl;carbonyl;ultraviolet light;

Data

Language: English
Year of publishing:
Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization: ZAG - Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute
Publisher: Molecular Diversity Preservation International
UDC: 54
COBISS: 171474691 Link will open in a new window
ISSN: 2073-4360
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Other data

Secondary language: Slovenian
Secondary keywords: mikroplastika;degradacija;hidroksil;karbonil;ultravijolična svetloba;
Source comment: Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Opis vira z dne 9. 11. 2023;
Pages: str. 1-16
Volume: ǂVol. ǂ15
Issue: ǂiss. ǂ21, [article no.] 4322
Chronology: 2023
DOI: 10.3390/polym15214322
ID: 20978969