Efectos de la radiación ionizante en la degradación de microplásticos en soluciones polares y biológicas

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are polymers with sizes ranging from 1 μm to 5 mm. Depending on their origin, they can be by-products of industrial processes or the result of physical and chemical degradation that reach the environment due to poor waste management. They have become a global problem as they have gone from being the most abundant pollutant in water to being found in the food web of aquatic animals, which are one of the main transmitters of PM to humans. In recent years, there is already evidence of these particles in human blood. Physical degradation methods, such as the use of UV radiation, have been shown to have noticed changes in plastic granules. The present work aims to analyze the effects of ionizing radiation on the degradation of PMs in polar and biological solutions using x-ray equipment on 6 samples fortified at ionizing radiation doses of 0.7 Gy and now 1.4 Gy in distilled water, ordinary water, and blood plasma. The MPs were obtained from samples of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, crushed with the aid of a ball mill, and characterized by SEM-EDS. The irradiation process showed a decrease in the mass of the samples of 7% and 13% at low and high doses, respectively. The SEM-EDS analysis showed morphological changes today and adhesion of elements in the MPs, within the common water sample. In the FT/IR analysis there were no changes in the chemical composition.