Plastic degrading in the oceans release chemicals into the water

Plastic debris accumulates in the environment and lately much attention has been drawn to the pollution in the world’s oceans. Photo: Berit Gewert

Floating plastic debris in the marine environment can be degraded by reactions initiated by UV-radiation, hydrolysis, and microorganisms. Degradation of plastics releases chemical compounds to the water. The compounds and their amounts are dependent on the plastic polymer and the weathering condition of the plastic. These are the key findings in a recently defended doctoral thesis by Berit Gewert at the Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry (ACES), Stockholm University.

“Plastic, and especially microplastic, has received a lot of attention recently. However, there are still a lot of knowledge gaps”, says Berit Gewert, PhD student at the Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, who defended her doctoral thesis in June and has focused on chemical pollutants released to the marine environment by degrading plastic debris.

Since the beginning of mass production in the 1940s, plastic has been manufactured in quickly increasing amounts. In 2015 about 322 million tons were produced, for which around 8% of global oil production was used. Plastic debris accumulates in the environment and lately much attention has been drawn to […]

Full article: Plastic degrading in the oceans release chemicals into the water

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