Plastic Mass Research Articles

The history of the appearance and specifics of the development of comics in Arab countries

Comics as a kind of creolized text can quite often be a marker of an era. The reflection of a particular historical period can manifest itself in a creolized text either explicitly or more covertly. For example, it may be a cartoon pointing to corruption in a particular country and thereby demonstrating a specific problem. Along with this, the researcher can pay attention to such details as the language of the text written on a poster or in an advertisement, which can say a lot about the course of the policy pursued by the authorities within the state. Thus, comics in particular are of great interest to the history of journalism, since, along with other types of creolized text, they are both literally and figuratively an illustration of a particular period. The object of the study is comics published in Arab countries in the second half of the XX – early XXI centuries; The subject of the study is the reflection of the socio-political processes of that time in comics. To achieve the set goals and objectives, the following methods of scientific research are used in the work: the method of analysis, the method of synthesis, the method of induction, the method of generalization. In the course of the conducted research, it was found out that the history of Arabic-language comics originates in the late 1940s in Egypt – this country has long been the main center of comic book creation and only eventually shared this role with Lebanon.Comics as a genre and comics as an extremely important source for historians have not lost their relevance. Moreover, as a plastic mass, it is ready and has all the possibilities to exist in the realities of today, when the speed of modern technologies is prohibitive. There are a huge variety of platforms for both publishing and reading comics. Various gadget apps and social networks help authors find their audience. Artificial intelligence, in relation to which a large amount of both fears and hopes have already been expressed, certainly also does not stand aside and will participate in the creation of comics.

Quantification, characterization, and source identification of macro- and mesoplastics in the water column of Rivers Sabaki and Tana.

Five sampling campaigns were conducted in the water columns of River Sabaki and Tana in Kenya, Between October 2021 and January 2023, covering a 1-year cycle, at four sites in River Sabaki (2.5km, 3.05km, 3.51km, and 4.52km) and River Tana (1.5km, 1.8km, 2.0km, and 2.5km) distant from the river mouth. The ebb and flood tides were sampled to calculate net plastic litter fluxes. Two 6350-µm seine nets were deployed in two replicates per sampling point. Factor and cluster analysis were used to investigate plastic litter sources for both rivers. The influences of rainfall on plastic abundance and mass were explored using permutational linear models. A total of 15,318 plastic litter items weighing 1.37kg were recorded in River Sabaki, and 3741 plastic litter items weighing 0.95kg in River Tana. The top ten captured plastic litter types sorted by abundance and mass were mostly plastic fragments. The annual net plastic litter flux to the ocean through River Sabaki amounted to 1,277,120.63 items year-1 by abundance and 22.30kgyear-1 by mass. For River Tana, the same fluxes were 207,550.76 items year-1, and 28.09kgyear-1, respectively. In River Sabaki, significant impacts of rainfall on plastic abundance and mass were found. River Sabaki's pollution sources included upstream reaches, fishing activities, and littering by locals and tourists. River Tana's major pollution sources were illegal dumpsites, littering, fishing, and recreational activities. This research can guide combat plastic pollution in the rivers and ultimately the ocean.

The effect of rubber and plastic mass ratio on the compatibilized ethylene propylene diene monomer/polypropylene TPV with shape memory behavior

AbstractThermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) with shape memory performance showed great application potential in various fields. In this work, the effect of the mass ratio of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) and polypropylene (PP) on the performance of TPV with sea island microstructure compatibilized by magnesium maleate (MgMA) and maleic anhydride (MAH) was studied. The compatibilized TPV 70/30 and TPV 60/40 obtained good shape memory property with the shape fixity ratio (Rf) and shape recovery ratio (Rr) of 87.3%, 96.7% and 91%, 86.6% respectively. Rf increased with more PP content and decreased with more EPDM content, however Rr decreased with more PP content and increased with more EPDM content. The maximum Rf of 95.4% and the maximum Rr of 100% of TPV were obtained at the EPDM/PP mass ratio of 20/80 and 80/20 respectively. The tensile strength and elongation at break of TPV increased with more PP content in the blend. The result of DMA, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and SEM demonstrated the compatibility effect of MgMA and MAH on EPDM and PP interface.

DIDACTIC AND METHODOLOGICAL BASES FOR ENSURING THE STUDY OF CHEMISTRY BY FUTURE SPECIALISTS OF TECHNOLOGICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

The article actualizes the research task of substantiating the didactic (content of the leading topics) and methodological (topics and objectives of laboratory work) foundations for ensuring general and professionally oriented competencies in the study of chemistry by future technology teachers and vocational education specialists. It is proposed to include the following topics in the content of training of higher education applicants majoring in 014.10 Secondary Education (Technology): basic concepts and laws of chemistry, periodic law and the D. Mendelieev’s periodic table of chemical elements; main classes of inorganic compounds; hydrocarbons; oxygen-containing organic compounds; non-trogen-containing organic compounds; general properties of high molecular weight compounds; chemical fibers; plastic masses. This block of the discipline includes laboratory work developed by the article author in accordance with the content of each topic. The article concludes the importance of chemical disciplines in the implementation of the educational profiles «Woodworking», «Agricultural Production», «Cooking», «Construction», «Energy», «Design and Modeling of Clothes», «Light Industry», «Design Basics», «Metalworking», etc. in high school in Ukraine.

Control of Thermochemical Transformations of Components of Coal-Based Binders

The possibility of considering coal pitch as a material suitable for research modeling the processes of thermochemical transformations of the plastic mass of coal carbonization and their interaction with the solid carbon phase is analyzed. The possibilities of controlling the properties of coal pitch and blast furnace coke during its production with the help of aprotic acid additives in the presence of a co-catalyst are shown.

Plastics in the Indian economy: a comprehensive material flow analysis

AbstractPlastic is valued for its flexibility to be utilized in different applications, yet it poses a significant threat to our environment because of mismanaged plastic waste. India’s compound annual growth of plastic consumption has been around 7% for a decade. Despite this significant growth, there has not been a comprehensive study of Indian plastic flows since 2000. This work presents a 20-year update, detailing plastic production, consumption by all plastic types and sectors, and the overall material flow for 2018–19 to fill the gap in the data on post-consumer plastic flows. The analysis reveals a total plastic production of 19.3 Mt, 22% of which is Polyethylene as the most wildly used plastic. The total mass of plastic in products distributed in various applications is 23.9 Mt. Key sectors for plastic consumption are Packaging (30%), Textiles (17%), and Buildings and Construction (16%). Plastic waste generation is 15.5 Mt, primarily from packaging and textiles. Only 13% of this plastic gets recycled, 46% is mismanaged, and the rest incinerated or dumped. The study’s unique nationwide, mass-balanced, transparent approach offers a rigorous reference point for decision-makers. Yet, the lack of reliable data is the main barrier to design, implement, and monitor of policy interventions.

How plastic litter sunk by biofouling recovers buoyancy - The role of benthic predation

Estimates suggest that the amount of plastic litter discarded in the ocean is several times greater than what remains floating at the sea surface, raising questions about the fate of this marine debris. Fouling-induced sinking of plastic litter is one of the proposed mechanisms responsible for this mass difference. While some of this ‘missing’ plastic mass may be explained by the effects of fouling, it has also been hypothesized that sinking litter may return to the surface after benthic organisms consume the biofouling. However, this hypothesis has never been tested. The present study evaluated the structure and biomass of the fouling community in response to benthic predation in both summer and winter seasons. Floating PVC plates were installed during winter and summer in central Chile (36°S) until the growing biofouling community caused them to sink. Plates were then moved to the seabed, where they were exposed to benthic predation, while control plates were maintained in a mesh cage impeding predator access. In summer, all plates recovered their buoyancy, while in the winter only 60 % recovered buoyancy. All caged control samples remained on the bottom in both seasons. The community structure differed both in the treatments and across the seasons, with plates that recovered buoyancy initially being dominated by Ulva sp. and Ciona robusta. Conversely, plates that did not refloat were mainly covered by species resistant to predation such as Pyura chilensis, Austromegabalanus psittacus, and Balanus laevis. Thus, fouling community structure influences how predation facilitates buoyancy recovery, because not all epibionts can be consumed by predators. While previous studies had shown how fouling organisms cause sinking of floating litter, this is the first study to provide experimental evidence that predation can reverse this process and allow litter to resurface and become again available as dispersal vectors for native and invasive species.

What to monitor? Microplastics in a freshwater lake – From seasonal surface water to bottom sediments

Marine microplastics have received considerable attention, and efforts are underway to develop standardised methods for sampling, sample treatment, and analysis, while the observation of freshwater ecosystems remains relatively overlooked. To address this understudied environment, we present a comprehensive case study on microplastics in an urban lake from Baltic region of Northern Europe covering the seasonal dynamics of microplastics in surface water, deposition rate throughout one year in sediment traps and distribution of microplastics in dated sediment archive to determine the most representative environmental compartment for microplastic pollution monitoring. The following well-established microplastic research methods have been used: Manta trawling for surface water, trapping for assessing microplastics sedimentation rate and coring for sediments. Attenuated total reflection and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy methods were used to investigate the synthetic nature of identified particles. The sediment core chronology was based on 210Pb and Bayesian Plum model revealing sediment layers to represent even the time before the beginning of plastic mass production (approximately 1950). The surface water microplastic concentrations were higher in summer (5.71 particles/m3) and gradually decreased towards winter (0.75 particles/m3); they were almost 25 times higher in more recent (2018) sediments than in the deeper layers referring to years prior to 1890. Surprisingly, microplastic particles were found in sediments before the year 1950. The microplastic deposition rate was 9.47 particles/cm2/year or 4.31 µg/cm2/year. The most abundant polymers were polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene, and the prominent particle shapes were fibres in surface water and fragments in sediments. Our results provide a baseline for evaluating future contamination level changes in highly urbanized area. We recommend the combination of surface water filtering with net and sediment trapping methods for monitoring microplastics in lakes since this method requires little time and financial resources for sampling and processing and produces information on temporal microplastic occurrence and deposition.

Microplastics in sea surface waters in the Southern Bight of the North Sea

Microplastic pollution in the marine environment is of concern, with evidence of harmful effects on marine biota and ecosystems. There is still a knowledge gap of the mass of plastics supplied to the ocean and plastics observed in the ocean, indicating a missing sink. Therefore, baseline and monitoring data are needed to inform policy and regulatory measures. The goal of this study was to collect harmonised data of microplastics from the surface of the ocean using the Neuston Microplastic Catamaran. This study shows that the surface water of the coastal ocean in the North Sea holds/sustains high concentrations of microplastic, which exceed previously recorded measurements from the North-East Atlantic and Scottish Waters, indicating that the total stock of plastics might be much higher than previously determined. Microplastics were detected in all samples with concentrations ranging from 857 to 25,462 items km−2. The majority of microplastics analysed were fragments of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene in the size range of 1,000–5,000 µm. Mesoplastics (>5,000 µm) mainly in the form of filaments were found with concentrations ranging from 0 to 2,139 items km−2, and macroplastics (>5,000 µm) in the form of fragments and filaments were also found with concentrations ranging from 0 to 1,078 items km−2. These fragments and filaments likely originate from the break-up of common macrolitter items in the environment, such as plastic bags, bottles, and fishing gears, which are commonly comprised of similar polymers to those found in the present study. Our findings demonstrate that litters of all size classes are abundant in surface water, highlighting that it is a key compartment for the transport of marine litter and should be monitored to better our understanding of the fate and danger of plastic contamination in our ocean.

Biodegradation of four polyolefin plastics in superworms (Larvae of Zophobas atratus) and effects on the gut microbiome

Recent studies have demonstrated superworms (larvae of Zophobas atratus) ability to degrade polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polypropylene (PP) within their digestive system. This study aimed to compare the ability of superworms to degrade the above four polyolefin plastics over a duration of 30 days. In this study, the degradation rate of PE was the highest, and the final average weight of superworms, as well as the final plastic mass loss consumed by them, significantly increased (73.38 % and 52.33 %, respectively) when PE was fed with wheat bran (1:1 [w/w]). FTIR and TGA indicated the occurrence of oxidation and biodegradation processes in the four polyolefin plastics when exposed to superworms. In addition, the molecular weights (Mw and Mn) of excreted polymer residues decreased by 3.1 % and 2.87 % in PE-fed superworms, suggesting that the depolymerization of PE was not entirely dependent on the gut microbial community. The analysis of the gut microbial communities revealed that the dominant microbial community were different for each type of plastic. The results indicate that the gut microbiome of superworms exhibited remarkable adaptability in degrading various types of plastics, and the intake preferences and efficiency of different plastics are associated with different dominant microbial community species.

Visible intruders: Tracing (micro-) plastic in organic fertilizers

Agricultural soils have been identified as potential reservoirs for plastic pollution, with adverse effects on soil properties. Primary sources of plastic input in agricultural landscapes are associated with the application of sewage sludge or compost. Understanding the sources and anticipated plastic content is crucial in mitigating plastic pollution in agricultural fields. This study presents one of the first investigations into the plastic content and other impurities, e.g. glass, of seven organic fertilizers (biowaste compost, digested pig slurry, sewage sludge compost, dry chicken manure, green waste compost, sewage sludge, and a mixed digestate comprising pig slurry, chicken manure, and 74 % renewable raw materials). Potentially visible foreign substances were assessed on the surface of each fertilizer pile. No impurities could be detected in digested pig slurry, chicken manure, and mixed digestate. For the remaining fertilizers, visible potential foreign substances were collected, cleaned, visually described, weighed, photographed, size measured, and chemically characterized using ATR-FTIR. The quantification revealed that plastic particles are the most abundant and are contained in all other fertilizers, in contrast to glass and metal. An increasing trend in plastic particle number per m2: green waste < biowaste < sewage sludge compost < sewage sludge, which is about 4 times greater in sewage sludge than in green waste compost, could be observed. However, sewage sludge compost has the largest plastic mass and surface area per square meter. This illustrates that sewage sludge compost application can be a significant entry pathway for visual plastics into agricultural soils.

Polypropylene waste plastic fiber morphology as an influencing factor on the performance and durability of concrete: Experimental investigation, soft-computing modeling, and economic analysis

The increasing waste of plastic masses raises the danger alarm due to its adverse impacts on people and the natural environment. Hence, serious attempts should be made to manage this non-biodegradable waste for practical, sustainable, and sufficient uses, such as in construction. This research discusses experimentally the possibility of improving the behavior of concrete reinforced with waste plastic fibers (WPFs) from food trays by examining the effect of fibers morphology on concrete's mechanical properties and durability. This concept was intensively studied for steel fibers but rarely for WPFs. A 0.6 percentage of 30 mm long straight, spiral, and channel fibers were tested and compared. Compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths, impact resistance, water absorption, rapid chloride penetration tests, and microstructural analysis were conducted. The results revealed that the fibers shape influences the mechanical behavior along with the water absorption considerably, and that the spiral fibers exhibited superior performance compared to the other shapes. The mechanical properties of spiral fibers specimens have improved considerably compared to specimens of other shapes. However, the ion chloride penetration resistance did not witness any substantial improvement, and the brittle fracture of concrete did not change by using WPFs, despite the considerable increase of more than 66 % of the impact resistance of specimens with spiral fibers. According to the findings, spiral WPFs enhance concrete's behavior, making WPF implementation in concrete more efficient from an environmental and structural standpoint. Moreover, machine learning modeling and cost/benefit analysis were conducted in this work to better understand the WPF effect on concrete.

Product characterization and pore structure evolution of a tar-rich coal following pyrolysis under nitrogen, steam/nitrogen, and oxygen/nitrogen atmospheres

Steam and an oxidative medium could be the most promising atmosphere for the in-situ pyrolysis of tar-rich coal. This study investigated the influence of these two atmospheres by comparing product yields, tar properties, and pore evolution characteristics of a tar-rich coal following pyrolysis under nitrogen (N2), steam/nitrogen (steam/N2), and oxygen/nitrogen (O2/N2). Compared with N2 pyrolysis, steam/N2 pyrolysis increased the tar yield by 0.54–1.33 wt% at 350–600 °C; further, O2/N2 pyrolysis increased the tar yield from 0.57 wt% to 3.53 wt% at 350 °C while decreasing this value by 0.31–1.83 wt% at 400–600 °C. At 450 °C and 500 °C, steam addition suppressed the formation of oxygenated compounds, thereby decreasing the O/C ratio of tar from 0.099 and 0.088 to 0.073 and 0.074, respectively. Conversely, O2 introduction presented the oxygen addition of tar by oxidation reactions. Meanwhile, steam inhibited the aromatization of alkanes and the condensation of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs). By contrast, O2 was able to promote the condensation of phenols and MAHs. At 450 °C, steam/N2 was thought to assist in the cracking of the plastic mass by providing a H2-rich atmosphere, which decreased the pitch content of tar and increased the contents of light fractions. O2/N2 was also beneficial for the formation of light fractions by intensifying the thermal cracking effect. Micro-CT and SEM analysis showed that H2O could promote the formation of micro-sized pores within the coal matrix, decreasing the average pore diameter (APD) from 150.95 μm to 102.67 μm and increasing the average coordination number (ACN) of pores from 6.27 to 8.59. O2 was inclined to enlarge the pyrolysis-induced pore network, which imposed a contrasting effect on APD and ACN parameters. Steam is recommended as the preferred atmosphere for the in-situ pyrolysis of tar-rich coal.

River plastic transport and storage budget

Rivers are one of the main conduits that deliver plastic from land into the sea, and also act as reservoirs for plastic retention. Yet, our understanding of the extent of river exposure to plastic pollution remains limited. In particular, there has been no comprehensive quantification of the contributions from different river compartments, such as the water surface, water column, riverbank and floodplain to the overall river plastic transport and storage. This study aims to provide an initial quantification of these contributions. We first identified the main relevant transport processes for each river compartment considered. We then estimated the transport and storage terms, by harmonizing available observations on surface, suspended and floodplain plastic. We applied our approach to two river sections in The Netherlands, with a focus on macroplastics (≥2.5 cm). Our analysis revealed that for the studied river sections, suspended plastics account for over 96% of item transport within the river channel, while their relative contribution to mass transport is only 30%–37% (depending on the river section considered). Surface plastics predominantly consisted of heavier items (mean mass: 7.1 g/#), whereas suspended plastics were dominated by lighter fragments (mean mass: 0.1 g/#). Additionally, the majority (98%) of plastic mass was stored within the floodplains, with the river channel accounting for only 2% of the total storage. Our study developed a harmonized approach for quantifying plastic transport and storage across different river compartments, providing a replicable methodology applicable to different regions. Our findings emphasize the importance of systematic monitoring programs across river compartments for comprehensive insights into riverine plastic pollution.

Baltic plastic soup recipe: Presence of paraffin increases micro- and mesoplastic contamination

Micro- (0.5–5 mm) and meso-size (0.5–2.5 cm) floating marine litter was collected in June 2022 in the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea using a manta trawl (mesh size 335 µm). Plastic items, excluding fibers and paint flakes, accounted for approximately 90.1% of the total number of collected particles in fifteen surface water samples. The contamination level ranged from (0.33–23.90)×105 items/km2 (or 0.22–15.93 items/m3, or 5–1779 g/km2, or 0.03–11.86 mg/m3). Foamed PS particles accounted for 49.2% of the total number of collected particles. The mass of paraffin in each sample was high, ranging from 1.4 to 3750 g/km2 (9.1×10–3–25.0 mg/m3), which was comparable to or greater than the mass of plastic. This study suggests that plastic particles are retained at the water surface by paraffin stains left after washing tanks on transport ships. This finding highlights an unexpected aspect of the contribution of shipping to plastic pollution in the region.

Cory's shearwater as a key bioindicator for monitoring floating plastics

The potential of using organisms as bioindicators of marine litter has been an area of general interest in multiple scientific and monitoring programs across the globe. Procellariiformes seabirds are particularly vulnerable to plastic contamination, which makes them a research focus group. This study investigated plastic ingestion in deceased fledglings and adults Cory’s shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) collected over eight years (2015 to 2022) at two Atlantic archipelagos: the Azores and the Canaries. Necropsies were carried out in a total of 1,238 individuals showing a high prevalence of plastic ingestion (90%), with approximately 80% of items recovered from the gizzard. Fledglings carried greater plastic loads compared to adults, yet plastic morphologies were similar between both age classes. The temporal analyses conducted with generalised additive mixed-effect models revealed a distinct temporal trend in plastic numbers, but not in terms of plastic mass. In addition, the spatial analyses showed that Cory’s shearwaters from the Canary Islands ingest a higher quantity of plastic and a greater proportion of threadlike items than the Azorean birds. These results suggest higher contamination at the NW Africa foraging grounds next to the Canaries and highlight fisheries as a potential source of marine litter in that region. On the other hand, the information gathered from the Azorean birds suggests they would be able to monitor changes in the composition of the plastic items floating in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. Overall, our outcomes support the use of Cory’s shearwater fledglings that are victims of light pollution as a key bioindicator of plastic contamination in the North Atlantic. For its policy application, the presented threshold value in combination with the assessment method will enable effective tracking of floating plastic litter in the framework of the MSFD and OSPAR.

White Stork Pellets: Non-Invasive Solution to Monitor Anthropogenic Particle Pollution.

The present study applied a non-invasive method to analyse anthropogenic particles and prey items in white stork (Ciconia ciconia) pellets. Pellets (n = 20) were obtained from white stork nests during the 2020 breeding season from two sites in Croatia. In total, 7869 anthropogenic particles were isolated. The majority of particles were fragments, while previous studies on other birds often reported fibres. An ATR-FTIR polymer analysis detected glass and construction and building materials, as well as several compounds associated with plastic masses. Polymer investigation revealed the presence of dotriacontane and octacosane, which are by-products of polyethylene (PE) degradation and transformation. Additionally, the detection of vinylidene chloride (VDC) highlights the historical contribution of polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) to plastic pollution. Significant variation in particle quantity and size between the sampling sites was detected, with larger particles found at sites associated with the metal mechanical engineering industry and agriculture. Prey assessment revealed chitin remains of large insects such as Orthoptera and Coleoptera. This research confirms the potential of pellet analysis as a valuable tool for assessing the presence of anthropogenic particles in the environment. However, further research is needed to fully understand the extent of particle ingestion, particle sources and potential impact.

Experimental research on optimizing carbon materials for filtration applications in medicine

In the present investigation, carbonized rice husk (CRH) were used as a feedstock for obtaining experimental samples of a carbon monolith. The choice of carbonized rice husk is due to environmental friendliness and availability, optimal physico-chemical and structural features. CRH was obtained by carbonization of rice husks in steam at 900–950 °C, followed by demineralization of 2–15 % nitric acid. The article is devoted to the study of carbon material for use in medicine. In this work, 9 samples of a carbon monolith with different ratios of components were obtained. The samples were obtained on the basis of CRH and plastic mass, which were used as binders. A sample with optimal characteristics was determined: sorption capacity 75.6 %, specific surface according to the multi-current BET method 360.56 m2, sorption of ethyl alcohol in biological media 50 %. Sorption capacity was determined using methylene blue dye, which simulates medium molecular weight toxicants. The specific surface area was measured on a sorbtometer using the multiprecision BET method, and the sorption of ethyl alcohol in biological media was determined on a chromatograph. It has been established that the carbon-silicon composition of the sorbent has the mildest sorption compared to the pure carbon composition. Sample No. 8 has a high specific surface area and sorption capacity, which will allow it to absorb a wide range of toxins of various origins, including biological fluids

Plastisols based on polyvinyl alcohol and their use for the production of children’s products

In this work, plastisol compositions have been developed for the production of plastic masses based on chemically cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol and polymer expanded microspheres for the production of air clay

Sunlight-Driven Photochemical Removal of Polypropylene Microplastics from Surface Waters Follows Linear Kinetics and Does Not Result in Fragmentation.

Floating microplastics are susceptible to sunlight-driven photodegradation, which can convert plastic carbon to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and can facilitate microplastic fragmentation by mechanical forces. To understand the photochemical fate of sub-millimeter buoyant plastics, ∼0.6 mm polypropylene microplastics were photodegraded while tracking plastic mass, carbon, and particle size distributions. Plastic mass loss and carbon loss followed linear kinetics. At most time points DOC accumulation accounted for under 50% of the total plastic carbon lost. DOC accumulation followed sigmoidal kinetics, not the exponential kinetics previously reported for shorter irradiations. Thus, we suggest that estimates of plastic lifespan based on exponential DOC accumulation are inaccurate. Instead, linear plastic-C mass and plastic mass loss kinetics should be used, and these methods result in longer estimates of photochemical lifetimes for plastics in surface waters. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that photoirradiation produced two distinct patterns of cracking on the particles. However, size distribution analyses indicated that fragmentation was minimal. Instead, the initial population of microplastics shrank in size during irradiations, indicating photoirradiation in tranquil waters (i.e., without mechanical forcing) dissolved sub-millimeter plastics without fragmentation.