The effect of polymer aging on the uptake of fuel aromatics and ethers by microplastics
- Microplastics are increasingly entering marine, limnic and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, where they sorb hydrophobic organic contaminants. Here, the sorption behavior of the fuel-related water contaminants benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene (BTEX) and four tertiary butyl ethers to virgin and via UV radiation aged polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) pellets was investigated. Changes in material properties due to aging were recorded using appropriate polymer characterization methods, such as differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and microscopy. Pellets were exposed to water containing BTEX and the ethers at 130-190 mg/L for up to two weeks. Aqueous sorbate concentrations were determined by headspace gas chromatography. Sorption to the polymers was correlated with the sorbate's Kow and was significant for BTEX and marginal for the ethers. Due to substantially lowerMicroplastics are increasingly entering marine, limnic and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, where they sorb hydrophobic organic contaminants. Here, the sorption behavior of the fuel-related water contaminants benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene (BTEX) and four tertiary butyl ethers to virgin and via UV radiation aged polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) pellets was investigated. Changes in material properties due to aging were recorded using appropriate polymer characterization methods, such as differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and microscopy. Pellets were exposed to water containing BTEX and the ethers at 130-190 mg/L for up to two weeks. Aqueous sorbate concentrations were determined by headspace gas chromatography. Sorption to the polymers was correlated with the sorbate's Kow and was significant for BTEX and marginal for the ethers. Due to substantially lower glass transition temperatures, PP showed higher sorption than PS. Aging had no effect on the sorption behavior of PP. PS sorbed less BTEX after aging due to an oxidized surface layer.…
Autor*innen: | Axel Mueller, Roland BeckerORCiD, Ute Dorgerloh, Franz-Georg SimonORCiD, Ulrike BraunORCiD |
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Dokumenttyp: | Zeitschriftenartikel |
Veröffentlichungsform: | Verlagsliteratur |
Sprache: | Englisch |
Titel des übergeordneten Werkes (Englisch): | Environmental Pollution |
Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung: | 2018 |
Organisationseinheit der BAM: | 1 Analytische Chemie; Referenzmaterialien |
1 Analytische Chemie; Referenzmaterialien / 1.7 Organische Spuren- und Lebensmittelanalytik | |
4 Material und Umwelt | |
4 Material und Umwelt / 4.3 Schadstofftransfer und Umwelttechnologien | |
5 Werkstofftechnik | |
5 Werkstofftechnik / 5.3 Polymere Verbundwerkstoffe | |
Verlag: | Elsevier |
Verlagsort: | Amsterdam |
Jahrgang/Band: | 240 |
Erste Seite: | 639 |
Letzte Seite: | 646 |
DDC-Klassifikation: | Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / Ingenieurwissenschaften / Sanitär- und Kommunaltechnik; Umwelttechnik |
Freie Schlagwörter: | BTEX; Degradation; Polypropylene; Polystyrene; Sorption |
Themenfelder/Aktivitätsfelder der BAM: | Umwelt |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.127 |
ISSN: | 0269-7491 |
Verfügbarkeit des Dokuments: | Datei im Netzwerk der BAM verfügbar ("Closed Access") |
Datum der Freischaltung: | 24.05.2018 |
Referierte Publikation: | Ja |
Datum der Eintragung als referierte Publikation: | 25.05.2018 |