Publications by authors named "Zhiyue Niu"
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates how polylactic acid (PLA) and polypropylene (PP) plastics break down into microplastics under UV radiation and seawater conditions, simulating real environmental scenarios.
- The results show that after 76 days of UV exposure, PP released significantly more microplastics compared to PLA, indicating that PLA has a lower rate of fragmentation.
- Additionally, the study found that PLA microplastics are generally larger and exhibit different shapes compared to PP microplastics, suggesting that bio-based materials may be more resistant to fragmentation than petroleum-based plastics.
The transfer kinetics of plastic-associated chemicals during intestinal digestive processes is unknown. Here, we assessed whether digestive processes affect chemical exchange kinetics on microplastics, using an gut fluid digestive model mimicking the human upper intestinal tract. Chemical exchange kinetics of microplastics were measured for 10 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as proxies for the broad class of hydrophobic organic chemicals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is a growing interest in replacing fossil-based polymers and composites with more sustainable and renewable fully biobased composite materials in automotive, aerospace and marine applications. There is an effort to develop components with a reduced carbon footprint and environmental impact, and materials based on biocomposites could provide such solutions. Structural components can be subjected to different marine conditions, therefore assessment of their long-term durability according to their marine applications is necessary, highlighting related degradation mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study examines the ecological effects of microplastics on the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum using realistic size distributions and concentrations.
- Results showed that even at high concentrations (up to 499 mg/L), virgin polyethylene microbeads did not negatively impact diatom growth.
- This research contributes essential data for better understanding the potential risks of microplastics in marine environments under realistic pollution scenarios.