Accumulation and release of organic pollutants by conventional and biodegradable microplastics in the marine environment

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2023-07, Vol.30 (31), p.77819-77829
• Main Authors: Catarci Carteny, Camilla, Amato, Elvio Diego, Pfeiffer, Fabienne, Christia, Christina, Estoppey, Nicolas, Poma, Giulia, Covaci, Adrian, Blust, Ronny
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accumulation; Additives; Aquatic environment; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Bioplastics; Biota; Contaminants; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Pollutants; Environmental science; Flame retardants; Leaching; Marine environment; Marine pollution; Microplastics; PCB; Plastic debris; Plasticizers; Plastics; Pollutants; Polybutylenes; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; Polyethylene; Polyethylenes; Polyhydroxyalkanoates; Polymers; Research Article; Risk assessment; Seawater; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27887-1

     The issue of microplastic (MP) litter in the aquatic environment and its capability of accumulating and/or releasing pollutants has been brought to light in recent years. Biodegradable plastics have been proposed as one of the different solutions to decrease environmental input of discarded plastics; however, their ability to accumulate and release pollutants once in the marine environment has not been assessed yet. In this study, we compare the accumulation and the release of a wide range of compounds by biodegradable (polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and polybutylene succinate (PBS)) and conventional (polyethylene (PE)) MPs following exposure to natural seawater for 64 days. We quantified polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organophosphorus flame retardants (PFRs), phthalates, and alternative plasticizers in MPs, before and after exposure. Results indicated that PBS- and PHA-MPs accumulated the largest amount of PAHs and PFRs, respectively. Leaching of PFRs and plasticizers was observed for all polymers and was approximately twofold greater for PE- when compared to PBS- and PHA-MPs. Overall, our study suggests that biodegradable MPs may release less additives and accumulate a larger amount of contaminants from seawater compared to conventional ones: these findings may have implications on the risk assessment of biodegradable polymers for marine biota; and on potential widespread adoption of these types of plastics.