Opposite impact of DOM on ROS generation and photoaging of aromatic and aliphatic nano- and micro-plastic particles

Abstract

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a significant role in the photochemical behavior of nano- and micro-plastic particles (NPs/MPs). We investigated the influence of DOM on the mechanism on the photoaging of NPs/MPs with different molecular structures under UV₃₆₅ irradiation in water. DOM components used in this study are mainly humic acid and fulvic acid. The results showed that DOM promoted the weathering of aliphatic NPs/MPs (polypropylene (PP)), but inhibited or had only a minor effect on the photoaging of aromatic NPs/MPs (polystyrene (PS) NPs/MPs, carboxyl-modified PS NPs, amino-modified PS NPs, and polycarbonate MPs). NPs with a large surface area may adsorb sufficient DOM on the particle surfaces through π-π interactions, which competes with NPs for photon absorption sites, thus, can delay the photoaging of PS NPs. Aromatic MPs may release phenolic compounds that quench •OH, thereby weakening the photoaging process. For aliphatic MPs, the detection of peracid, aldehyde, and ketone groups on the polymer surface indicated that DOM promoted weathering of PP MPs, which was primarily because the generation of •OH due to DOM photolysis may attack the polymer by C-C bond cleavage and hydrogen extraction reactions. This study provides insight into the UV irradiation weathering process of NPs/MPs of various compositions and structures, which are globally distributed in water.

Keywords: Dissolved organic matter; Particulate plastics; Reactive oxygen species; UV irradiation; Weathering.