This study demonstrates for the first time that styrene oligomers (SOs), which are indicators of polystyrene (PS) plastic contamination in the environment, are transported from land to the ocean. Samples of sand and seawater were taken from the coastline of the Tokyo Bay over the past four years, and all samples of both sand and seawater were found to contain SOs such as styrene monomer (SM), styrene dimers (SD), and styrene trimers (ST), with the concentration distributions of these being in the order of ST > SD > SM. The concentrations of these SOs are linearly proportional to monthly precipitation. These results indicate that various land-based SOs sources are connected with the estuary, a substantial amount of which are transported into Tokyo Bay through runoff as overland flow. As a result, runoff by precipitation is a potential transport pathway of land-based SOs sources. This finding is of interest in terms of both the extent of PS plastic pollution and the transport of SOs to the ocean. CAPSULE ABSTRACT: The assessment of the transport of styrene oligomers (SOs) in the coastal environment is performed.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.383 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Aerobic oxidation of alkylarenes and polystyrene waste to benzoic acids a copper-based catalyst.
Chem Sci
December 2024
State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University Changchun Jilin 130012 China
The chemical recycling of polystyrene (PS) waste to value-added aromatic compounds is an attractive but formidable challenge due to the inertness of the C-C bonds in the polymer backbone. Here we develop a light-driven, copper-catalyzed protocol to achieve aerobic oxidation of various alkylarenes or real-life PS waste to benzoic acid and oxidized styrene oligomers. The resulting oligomers can be further transformed under heating conditions, thus achieving benzoic acid in up to 65% total yield through an integrated one-pot two-step procedure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlasma-assisted destruction of polystyrene nanoplastics.
Nanoscale
December 2024
Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
Article Synopsis
- * A plasma-assisted method using a falling film plasma reactor successfully achieved a 98.4% removal rate of 200 nm polystyrene nanoplastics in one hour, which improved to 99.3% after three hours, also reducing total organic carbon in the solution by 27.4%.
- * The research found that the degradation of nanoplastics likely resulted in the creation of short polystyrene oligomers and demonstrated that plasma-assisted treatment is more effective than traditional ozonation methods for addressing nanoplastic pollution in water.
Chemical recycling of polymer contaminated poly(ethylene terephthalate) by neutral hydrolysis.
Waste Manag
January 2025
Plastic and Polymer Engineering, Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Aarhus University, Aabogade 40, DK-8200 Aarhus N., Denmark. Electronic address:
Plastic recycling is gaining traction to reduce the demand for fossil resources for plastic production. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), mainly used in the packaging and textile sectors, is often isolated in the sinking fraction during the density-based separation of mixed plastic waste streams. The heterogeneity of the sinking fraction makes direct mechanical recycling of PET impossible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCharacterization of AhR-mediated potency in sediments from Kongsfjorden, Svalbard: Application of effect-directed analysis and nontarget screening.
Chemosphere
November 2024
Department of Earth, Environmental & Space Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:
Article Synopsis
- This study focused on identifying major aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists found in surface sediments from Kongsfjorden, Arctic Svalbard, particularly near abandoned coal mines.
- High levels of AhR activity were detected, especially in sediments from sites S2 and S3, with significant amounts of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present.
- Findings revealed that around 24 specific AhR agonists contributed significantly to the observed toxic potential, with many being identified as coal-derived substances, emphasizing the need for more research on the ecological impacts of these contaminants.
Sequence-Defined Synthesis Enabled by Fast and Living Anionic Monoaddition of Vinyl Monomers.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl
October 2024
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10-jo, Nishi 8-chome, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.
The selective monoaddition of polymerizable vinyl monomers like styrenes and methacrylates in a living manner has been achieved for the flash-flow preparation of molecules in a defined sequence with high selectivity. We demonstrated the sequence-defined synthesis of multifunctional molecules using an initiator, functionalized styrenes, diarylethylenes, various methacrylates, and an electrophilic trapping reagent at the living terminus (six-component sequential connection at maximum) without any intermediate purification steps. The anionic living terminus of the vinyl monomers in the flow system described herein is active for polymerization, such that the styrene or methacrylate sequence can be expanded to afford highly dispersed oligomers without affecting other single units, which means that the unequivocal sequences were successfully inserted into the internal or terminal positions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!