Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Nov 15;951:175735. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175735. Epub 2024 Aug 24.
Plastic pollution is a consequential problem worldwide, prompting the widespread use of biodegradable plastics (BPs). However, not all BPs are completely degradable under natural conditions, but instead produce biodegradable microplastics (BMPs), release chemical additives, and absorb micropollutants, thus causing toxicity to living organisms in similar manners to conventional plastics (CPs). The new problems caused by biodegradable plastics cannot be ignored and requires a thorough comparison of the differences between conventional and biodegradable plastics and microplastics. This review comprehensively compares their environmental fates, such as biodegradation and micropollutant sorption, and ecotoxicity in soil and water environments. The results showed that it is difficult to determine the natural conditions required for the complete biodegradation of BPs. Some chemical additives in BPs differ from those in CPs and may pose new threats to ecosystems. Because of functional group differences, most BMPs had higher micropollutant sorption capacities than conventional microplastics (CMPs). The ecotoxicity comparison showed that BMPs had similar or even greater adverse effects than CMPs. This review highlights several knowledge gaps in this new field and suggests directions for future studies.
塑料污染是一个全球性的严重问题，促使人们广泛使用可生物降解塑料（BPs）。然而，并非所有 BPs 在自然条件下都是完全可降解的，而是会产生可生物降解的微塑料（BMPs），释放化学添加剂，并吸附微污染物，从而以类似于传统塑料（CPs）的方式对生物体产生毒性。可生物降解塑料带来的新问题不容忽视，需要对传统塑料、可生物降解塑料和微塑料之间的差异进行彻底比较。本综述全面比较了它们在环境中的命运，如在土壤和水环境中的生物降解和微污染物吸附以及生态毒性。结果表明，难以确定 BPs 完全生物降解所需的自然条件。BPs 中的一些化学添加剂与 CPs 不同，可能对生态系统构成新的威胁。由于官能团的差异，大多数 BMPs 对微污染物的吸附能力高于传统微塑料（CMPs）。生态毒性比较表明，BMPs 的不良影响与 CMPs 相似，甚至更大。本综述突出了该新领域的几个知识空白，并为未来的研究提出了方向。
