Potential of Advanced Oxidation as Pretreatment for Microplastics Biodegradation

Separations

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Kristina Bule Možar¹  Martina Miloloža¹  Viktorija Martinjak¹  Matija Cvetnić¹  Hrvoje Kušić¹  Tomislav Bolanča¹  Dajana Kučić Grgić¹  Šime Ukić¹ 

[1] Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb

关键词: microplastics;    biodegradation;    pretreatment approaches;    advanced oxidation processes;   

DOI  :  10.3390/separations10020132

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

In the last two decades, microplastics (MP) have been identified as an emerging environmental pollutant. Due to their small size, MP particles may easily enter the food chain, where they can have adverse effects on organisms and the environment in general. The common methods for the removal of pollutants from the environment are not fully effective in the elimination of MP; thus, it is necessary to find a more suitable treatment method(s). Among the various approaches tested, biodegradation is by far the most environmentally friendly and economically acceptable remediation approach. However, it has serious drawbacks, generally related to the rather low removal rate and often insufficient efficiency. Therefore, it would be beneficial to use some of the less economical but more efficient methods as pretreatment prior to biodegradation. Such pretreatment would primarily serve to increase the roughness and hydrophilicity of the surface of MP, making it more susceptible to bioassimilation. This review focuses on advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) as treatment methods that can enhance the biodegradation of MP particles. It considers MP particles of the six most commonly used plastic polymers, namely: polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate and polyurethane. The review highlights organisms with a high potential for biodegradation of selected MP particles and presents the potential benefits that AOP pretreatment can provide for MP biodegradation.

【 授权许可】

CC BY