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Polymers
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Recent Study in Engineering Application of Microplastics and Nano Plastics
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Recent Study in Engineering Application of Microplastics and Nano Plastics

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2024 | Viewed by 20820

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesca Lionetto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
Interests: material characterization; ultrasonic wave propagation; polymer rheology; curing kinetics of thermosetting matrices; polymer matrix composites; polymer composite processing and joining; heat transfer modelling; polymer based nanocomposites; hybrid welding of dissimilar materials; micro and nanoplastics; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Carlos Espinoza-González

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Advanced Materials, Research Center for Applied Chemistry (CIQA), Saltillo 25294, Mexico
Interests: microparticles; spray drying; encapsulating; biodegradable polymers; natural products

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The impressive field of micro/nano particles based on synthetic and natural polymers are finding increasing applications in several fields, thanks to innovative technological solutions and the establishing of a circular economy model. However, in addition to multiple benefits for society, micro/nano particles are also responsible of water, air and soil pollution together with secondary microplastics (MPs) and nano plastics (NPs), originated from plastic waste fragmenting and degradation. Although the huge interest, the chemical vector role of micro/nano plastics, their fate and the negative effects on the environment and human health is still under discussion and the investigations are still sparse. Moreover, the study of the MPs and NPs pollution relies on the availability of environmentally relevant engineered nano particles for toxicological, transport and adsorption studies in biological tissues; as well as the design of innovative engineered micro/nano particles to overcome that toxicological, pollution, and health issues.

The need to share the most recent efforts and encouraging the sustainable progress in that fields, motivated us to present this Special Issue focus on the recent study in engineering application of microplastics and nano plastics, also including their design, production and characterization, recycling (downcycling or upcycling), degradation in air, soil or aquatic environments, adsorption of toxic chemicals, the risk for the environment and human health and remediation strategies from polluted soil and water.

This Special Issue on the recent study in engineering application of microplastics and nano plastics is devoted to the dissemination of high-quality original research articles or comprehensive reviews on cutting-edge developments in this interdisciplinary field.

Original articles, communications and review papers will deal with the following themes, without being limited to them:

  • micro/nano plastics from natural or synthetic polymers
  • production routes for polymer micro/nano particles
  • novel design of micro/nano particles to overcome toxicological, pollution, and health issues
  • surface modification and encapsulation of active agents
  • application of polymer micro/nano particles in agriculture, cosmetics, pharmacy and tissue engineering
  • microplastics and nano plastics in the environment
  • degradation studies of micro/nano plastics
  • adsorption and release of toxic chemicals on micro/nano plastics
  • recycling approaches of micro/nano plastics
  • engineered micro/nano particles for toxicological, transport and adsorption studies
  • remediation technologies to collect micro/nano plastics from the environment

Prof. Dr. Francesca Lionetto
Dr. Carlos Espinoza-González
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microplastics
  • nano plastics
  • pollution
  • degradation
  • biopolymer
  • toxicity
  • adsorption
  • recycling
  • sustainability
  • remediation

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2446 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Deterioration of Untreated Commercial Polystyrene by Psychrotrophic Antarctic Bacterium
by Pui Mun Tang, Syahir Habib, Mohd Yunus Abd Shukor, Siti Aisyah Alias, Jerzy Smykla and Nur Adeela Yasid
Polymers 2023, 15(8), 1841; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15081841 - 11 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1747
Abstract
Polystyrene (PS) and microplastic production pose persistent threats to the ecosystem. Even the pristine Antarctic, which is widely believed to be pollution-free, was also affected by the presence of microplastics. Therefore, it is important to comprehend the extent to which biological agents such [...] Read more.
Polystyrene (PS) and microplastic production pose persistent threats to the ecosystem. Even the pristine Antarctic, which is widely believed to be pollution-free, was also affected by the presence of microplastics. Therefore, it is important to comprehend the extent to which biological agents such as bacteria utilise PS microplastics as a carbon source. In this study, four soil bacteria from Greenwich Island, Antarctica, were isolated. A preliminary screening of the isolates for PS microplastics utilisation in the Bushnell Haas broth was conducted with the shake-flask method. The isolate AYDL1 identified as Brevundimonas sp. was found to be the most efficient in utilising PS microplastics. An assay on PS microplastics utilisation showed that the strain AYDL1 tolerated PS microplastics well under prolonged exposure with a weight loss percentage of 19.3% after the first interval (10 days of incubation). Infrared spectroscopy showed that the bacteria altered the chemical structure of PS while a deformation of the surface morphology of PS microplastics was observed via scanning electron microscopy after being incubated for 40 days. The obtained results may essentially indicate the utilisation of liable polymer additives or “leachates” and thus, validate the mechanistic approach for a typical initiation process of PS microplastics biodeterioration by the bacteria (AYDL1)—the biotic process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Study in Engineering Application of Microplastics and Nano Plastics)
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14 pages, 3186 KiB  
Article
In Situ Fluorescent Illumination of Microplastics in Water Utilizing a Combination of Dye/Surfactant and Quenching Techniques
by Doo Hong Park, Se Bin Oh and Sung Chul Hong
Polymers 2022, 14(15), 3084; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14153084 - 29 Jul 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2816
Abstract
Although plastics have benefited our lives in terms of cost and convenience, the disposal of end-of-life plastics poses environmental problems, such as microplastics (MPs). Although the separation (e.g., filtration) and staining of MPs with fluorescent dye/solvent are generally accepted steps to observe MPs [...] Read more.
Although plastics have benefited our lives in terms of cost and convenience, the disposal of end-of-life plastics poses environmental problems, such as microplastics (MPs). Although the separation (e.g., filtration) and staining of MPs with fluorescent dye/solvent are generally accepted steps to observe MPs in an environmental matrix, in this study, an in situ selective fluorescent illumination of the MPs in water was attempted with the aid of surfactant. Nonpolar fluorescent dye in combination with surfactant affords nanometer-sized dye particles in water, which adsorb on MPs and penetrate the polymer matrix for effective staining and stable fluorescent behaviors. The effects of different staining parameters, including different dyes, surfactants, staining temperatures, staining times, dye/surfactant ratios, dye/MP ratios, and MP concentrations in aqueous solutions were investigated to better understand staining conditions. More interestingly, non-adsorbed free dye molecules in the staining solution were almost completely fluorescence-quenched by introducing the quenching agent, aniline, while the fluorescence intensity of the stained MP was maintained. By staining MPs with a dye/surfactant combination and subsequently quenching with aniline, in situ selective fluorescent illumination of the MPs in water was successfully achieved, which may eliminate the tedious separation/filtration procedure of MPs to accomplish the quick detection or monitoring of MPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Study in Engineering Application of Microplastics and Nano Plastics)
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16 pages, 3437 KiB  
Article
Toxicity Study and Quantitative Evaluation of Polyethylene Microplastics in ICR Mice
by Sijoon Lee, Kyung-Ku Kang, Soo-Eun Sung, Joo-Hee Choi, Minkyoung Sung, Keum-Yong Seong, Sunjong Lee, Seung Yun Yang, Min-Soo Seo and KilSoo Kim
Polymers 2022, 14(3), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14030402 - 20 Jan 2022
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 5165
Abstract
The production, use, and waste of plastics increased worldwide, which resulted in environmental pollution and a growing public health problem. In particular, microplastics have the potential to accumulate in humans and mammals through the food chain. However, the toxicity of microplastics is not [...] Read more.
The production, use, and waste of plastics increased worldwide, which resulted in environmental pollution and a growing public health problem. In particular, microplastics have the potential to accumulate in humans and mammals through the food chain. However, the toxicity of microplastics is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the toxicity of 10–50 μm polyethylene microplastics following single- and 28-day repeated oral administration (three different doses of microplastics of 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg/day) in ICR mice. For the investigation, we administered the microplastics orally for single- and 28-day repeated. Then, the histological and clinical pathology evaluations of the rodents were performed to evaluation of the toxicity test, and Raman spectroscopy was used to directly confirm the presence of polyethylene microplastics. In the single oral dose toxicity experiments, there were no changes in body weight and necropsy of the microplastics-treated group compared with that of controls. However, a histopathological evaluation revealed that inflammation from foreign bodies was evident in the lung tissue from the 28-day repeated oral dose toxicity group. Moreover, polyethylene microplastics were detected in the lung, stomach, duodenum, ileum, and serum by Raman spectroscopy. Our results corroborated the findings of lung inflammation after repeated oral administration of polyethylene microplastics. This study provides evidence of microplastic-induced toxicity following repeated exposure to mice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Study in Engineering Application of Microplastics and Nano Plastics)
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16 pages, 4316 KiB  
Article
Production and Characterization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoparticles
by Francesca Lionetto, Carola Esposito Corcione, Aurora Rizzo and Alfonso Maffezzoli
Polymers 2021, 13(21), 3745; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13213745 - 29 Oct 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5055
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution represents one of the biggest environmental problems that is further exacerbated by the continuous degradation in the marine environment of MPs to nanoplastics (NPs). The most diffuse plastics in oceans are commodity polymers, mainly thermoplastics widely used for packaging, such [...] Read more.
Microplastic (MP) pollution represents one of the biggest environmental problems that is further exacerbated by the continuous degradation in the marine environment of MPs to nanoplastics (NPs). The most diffuse plastics in oceans are commodity polymers, mainly thermoplastics widely used for packaging, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However, the huge interest in the chemical vector role of micro/nanoplastics, their fate and negative effects on the environment and human health is still under discussion and the research is still sparse due also to the difficulties of sampling MPs and NPs from the environment or producing NPs in laboratory. Moreover, the research on MPs and NPs pollution relies on the availability of engineered nanoparticles similar to those present in the marine environment for toxicological, transport and adsorption studies in biological tissues as well as for wastewater remediation studies. This work aims to develop an easy, fast and scalable procedure for the production of representative model nanoplastics from PET pellets. The proposed method, based on a simple and economic milling process, has been optimized considering the peculiarities of the polymer. The results demonstrated the reliability of the method for preparing particle suspensions for aquatic microplastic research, with evident advantages compared to the present literature procedures, such as low cost, the absence of liquid nitrogen, the short production time, the high yield of the process, stability, reproducibility and polydisperse size distribution of the produced water dispersed nanometric PET. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Study in Engineering Application of Microplastics and Nano Plastics)
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12 pages, 13606 KiB  
Article
Controlled Release of Chlorogenic Acid from Polyvinyl Alcohol/Poly(γ-Glutamic Acid) Blended Electrospun Nanofiber Mats with Potential Applications in Diabetic Foot Treatment
by Isela Sandoval-Herrera, Jorge Romero-García, Antonio Ledezma-Pérez, Carmen Alvarado-Canché, Román Torres-Lubian and Arxel De-León
Polymers 2021, 13(17), 2943; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13172943 - 31 Aug 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2261
Abstract
This work biosynthesized poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) produced by Bacillus licheniformis ATCC-9945a. This material was utilized to prepare electrospun nanofibers with solutions of 10% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (w/v) mixed with γ-PGA at 5 and 10% w/v, intended as a wound [...] Read more.
This work biosynthesized poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) produced by Bacillus licheniformis ATCC-9945a. This material was utilized to prepare electrospun nanofibers with solutions of 10% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (w/v) mixed with γ-PGA at 5 and 10% w/v, intended as a wound dressing for diabetic foot treatment. These solutions were loaded with chlorogenic acid (CGA), an active hypoglycemic agent. Morphological analysis showed a decrease in size of the fibers with the combination of PVA/γ-PGA compared to pure PVA nanofibers, which was attributed to the hydrogen bonding interactions between the glutaraldehyde vapors, γ-PGA, and PVA that permitted nanofiber cross-linking and allowed CGA release. The in vitro release analysis showed that the PVA membranes reached 28% delivery after the first 24 h. Notably, the nanofiber mat with PVA blended with 5% γ-PGA reached 57% delivery, and the PVA nanofiber with 10% γ-PGA reached 66% release after the same amount of time. The rate constant for the release kinetics showed that PVA with 5% γ-PGA had a higher value than that of the other samples, reaching saturation first. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Study in Engineering Application of Microplastics and Nano Plastics)
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Review

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23 pages, 2221 KiB  
Review
Recent Study of Separation and Identification of Micro- and Nanoplastics for Aquatic Products
by Jin Xu, Gan Wu, Hao Wang, Zhaoyang Ding and Jing Xie
Polymers 2023, 15(21), 4207; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15214207 - 24 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1326
Abstract
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are polymeric compounds widely used in industry and daily life. Although contamination of aquatic products with MNPs exists, most current research on MNPs focuses on environmental, ecological, and toxicological studies, with less on food safety. Currently, the extent to [...] Read more.
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are polymeric compounds widely used in industry and daily life. Although contamination of aquatic products with MNPs exists, most current research on MNPs focuses on environmental, ecological, and toxicological studies, with less on food safety. Currently, the extent to which aquatic products are affected depends primarily on the physical and chemical properties of the consumed MNPs and the content of MNPs. This review presents new findings on the occurrence of MNPs in aquatic products in light of their properties, carrier effects, chemical effects, seasonality, spatiality, and differences in their location within organisms. The latest studies have been summarized for separation and identification of MNPs for aquatic products as well as their physical and chemical properties in aquatic products using fish, bivalves, and crustaceans as models from a food safety perspective. Also, the shortcomings of safety studies are reviewed, and guidance is provided for future research directions. Finally, gaps in current knowledge on MNPs are also emphasized. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Study in Engineering Application of Microplastics and Nano Plastics)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Effect of Solar Photolysis, Photocatalysis and Gamma Irradiation on the Photo and Biodegradability of LDPE
Authors: Gonçalo A.O. Tiago; Lucas P. Marcelino; Susete Martins-Dias; Ana C. Marques
Affiliation: Center for Natural Resources and the Environment (CERENA), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal; Center for Natural Resources and the Environment (CERENA), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal; CERENA, Department of Biological Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; CERENA, Department of Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal.
Abstract: This paper regards the effect of solar photolysis, photocatalysis and gamma irradiation pre-treatments on the (bio)degradability of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) to mitigate plastic waste impact on the environment. Photodegraded LDPE microplastic particles (powder) resulting from a solar irradiation process, in the presence and absence of TiO2 photocatalyst (Aeroxide P25), and from gamma irradiation process, were subjected to biodegradation assessment by quantification of O2 consumption in a static biological oxygen demand (BOD) system using compost as the matrix. Photodegradation of LDPE film was performed for comparison. The appearance of cracks and changes in roughness were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, sunlight increased the carbonyl index (CI) up to 0.40. However, the deposition of TiO2 nanoparticles over the LDPE surface prevented the CI from rising, which is in line with the reduction of the O2 consumption rate in the BOD tests for solar photocatalysis irradiation pre-treatments. Gamma radiation on the LDPE powder samples resulted in greater CI values, which also increased with solar radiation and photocatalysis, reaching 1.41, which was reduced by 40% in an aerobic biodegradation environment. Thus, biodegradation of LDPE mediated by solar and gamma irradiation is a promising facilitator of biodegradability, while photocatalysis requires understanding catalyst deposition phenomena.

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