Nanoplastics and microplastics released from an enzyme-embedded biodegradable polyester during hydrolysisShow others and affiliations
2025 (English)In: Journal of Hazardous Materials, ISSN 0304-3894, E-ISSN 1873-3336, Vol. 489, article id 137640Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Embedding enzyme in biodegradable polyester accelerates hydrolysis in environments it ends up, but the release of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) during this process remains underexplored. This work investigated the evolution of MPs and NPs released from poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with embedded Lipase PS. The embedded enzyme significantly accelerated hydrolysis, causing the PCL film to disappear within 96 h. Notably, the formation rates and quantities of MPs and NPs were much higher compared to film with external enzyme. At 96 h, MPs (3.55 ×105 particles/mL) was 2.4 times, and NPs (4.65 ×107 particles/mL) was an order of magnitude higher than that with external enzyme. After 130 days, although both quantities and average size of MPs and NPs decreased due to only 90.6 % of enzymes were detected leaking, they did not completely disappear. The quantities of MPs and NPs were comparable to that with external enzyme, and the average size of MPs remained 1 μm. The simultaneous erosion inside film macroscopically, and severe chain cleavage microscopically, contributed to feasible film disintegration and formation of high amounts MPs and NPs. These findings underscore the importance of managing the release of MPs and NPs during the hydrolysis of enzyme-embedded biodegradable polyesters to ensure safety and mitigate environmental impact.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier BV , 2025. Vol. 489, article id 137640
Keywords [en]
Enzyme-embedded biodegradable polyester, Hydrolysis, Nanoplastics and microplastics
National Category
Environmental Sciences Surface- and Corrosion Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-360593DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137640ISI: 001429219400001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85217903893OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-360593DiVA, id: diva2:1940659
Note
QC 20250311
2025-02-262025-02-262025-03-11Bibliographically approved