Microwave-activated oxidation to replicate polyethylene plastic environmental fragmentation and contaminant release pathways
Abstract
The environmental degradation of polyethylene (PE) plastic is commonly described as a slow fragmentation process, generated by radical oxidation induced by sunlight, followed by gradual release of additives. Here, we challenge this view by applying a microwave-activated hydrogen peroxide (MW/H₂O₂) system able to reproduce key oxidative signatures observed during polyethylene weathering and allows study of particle release and additive release. We show that micro- and nanoplastics form concurrently, driven by early oxidative embrittlement and the development of surface cracks linked to structural heterogeneity. ATR-FTIR and depth-resolved O-PTIR spectroscopy reveal pronounced chemical transformations at the PE surface (including hydroxyl, and carbonyl groups formation) that trigger crystallinity changes, plastic swelling, and enhanced susceptibility to mechanical fracture. Using multimodal chemical analysis (µ-XRF, ICP-MS), we reveal selective migration of metallic additives (Ti, Cr, Fe, Ca), with surface enrichment directly correlated to the oxidation state of PE. Correlative analysis demonstrates that additive migration is promoted by surface oxidation and microstructural weakening, with Fick law modeling yielding diffusion coefficients up to 1.4 × 10⁻11 m² s⁻¹. These results provide mechanistic insight into how aged plastics act as dynamic vectors for particulate and chemical contaminants, highlighting the need to integrate additive release into environmental risk assessments.
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BibTeX
@article{kharraf2026microwaveactivated,
title = {{Microwave-activated oxidation to replicate polyethylene plastic environmental fragmentation and contaminant release pathways}},
author = {Aicha El Kharraf and Murielle Rabiller-Baudry and Ana Pradas Del Real and Christophe Sandt and Jean-Pierre Guin and Delphine Vantelon and Mark Wiesner and Lionel Dutruch and Melanie Davranche},
journal = {Water Research},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.watres.2026.126333},
url = {https://insu.hal.science/insu-05666350v2},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Microwave-activated oxidation to replicate polyethylene plastic environmental fragmentation and contaminant release pathways
AU - Aicha El Kharraf
AU - Murielle Rabiller-Baudry
AU - Ana Pradas Del Real
AU - Christophe Sandt
AU - Jean-Pierre Guin
AU - Delphine Vantelon
AU - Mark Wiesner
AU - Lionel Dutruch
AU - Melanie Davranche
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/09
JO - Water Research
DO - 10.1016/j.watres.2026.126333
UR - https://insu.hal.science/insu-05666350v2
AB - The environmental degradation of polyethylene (PE) plastic is commonly described as a slow fragmentation process, generated by radical oxidation induced by sunlight, followed by gradual release of additives. Here, we challenge this view by applying a microwave-activated hydrogen peroxide (MW/H₂O₂) system able to reproduce key oxidative signatures observed during polyethylene weathering and allows study of particle release and additive release. We show that micro- and nanoplastics form concurrently, driven by early oxidative embrittlement and the development of surface cracks linked to structural heterogeneity. ATR-FTIR and depth-resolved O-PTIR spectroscopy reveal pronounced chemical transformations at the PE surface (including hydroxyl, and carbonyl groups formation) that trigger crystallinity changes, plastic swelling, and enhanced susceptibility to mechanical fracture. Using multimodal chemical analysis (µ-XRF, ICP-MS), we reveal selective migration of metallic additives (Ti, Cr, Fe, Ca), with surface enrichment directly correlated to the oxidation state of PE. Correlative analysis demonstrates that additive migration is promoted by surface oxidation and microstructural weakening, with Fick law modeling yielding diffusion coefficients up to 1.4 × 10⁻11 m² s⁻¹. These results provide mechanistic insight into how aged plastics act as dynamic vectors for particulate and chemical contaminants, highlighting the need to integrate additive release into environmental risk assessments.
SN - 0043-1354
SN - 1879-2448
ER -