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Sampling, Sorting, and Characterizing Microplastics in Aquatic Environments with High Suspended Sediment Loads and Large Floating Debris
Published on: July 28, 2018
Decreased particle size enhances the aging behavior of microplastics during sewage sludge composting: Physicochemical
Zhihao Liu1, Hongtao Liu2, Lixia Wang3
1Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control Theory and Technology, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China.
Abstract:
Although aerobic composting is capable of aging microplastics (MPs), the influence of size on MPs aging during composting and loading of cadmium (Cd) remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated variations in the physicochemical properties of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics (PET-MPs) with different sizes (1.0 -5.0, 0.2 -1.0, and 0.05 -0.2 mm) during composting and the concentration of Cd accumulated on the surface of different-sized aged PET-MPs. The results indicated that PET-MPs exhibited size-dependent as they aged during composting, with smaller sizes aging faster. After composting, the 0.05 -0.2 mm PET-MPs had the greatest increase in specific surface area (205.5 %), compared with the 1.0 -5.0 mm (18.7 %) and 0.2 -1.0 mm (95.6 %) PET-MPs. The greatest increase in the carbonyl index/oxygen-to-carbon atom ratio was also observed for the 0.05 -0.2 mm PET-MPs, which were 2.25 / 3.27 and 0.02 / 2.11 times higher than those of the 1.0 -5.0 mm and 0.2-1.0 mm PET-MPs, respectively. Similarly, size-dependent accumulation of Cd on the aged PET-MPs was also observed: 0.05-0.2 mm (5.37 mg/kg Cd) > 0.2 -1.0 mm (2.90 mg/kg Cd) > 1.0-5.0 mm (0.78 mg/kg Cd). These findings demonstrate that the aging behavior of polymer is closely related to their size, emphasizing the role of size in the fate and pollutant loading of polymer.
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