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. 2024 Aug 7;9(33):35627-35633.
doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c03735. eCollection 2024 Aug 20.

Design of a Weathering Chamber for UV Aging of Microplastics in the Mediterranean Region

Jack Galea  1 , Anthea Agius Anastasi  1 , Sophie M Briffa  1
Affiliations

Design of a Weathering Chamber for UV Aging of Microplastics in the Mediterranean Region

Jack Galea et al. ACS Omega. .

Abstract

Microplastics are an ever-growing concern in the environment. Their degradation may lead to greater absorption of toxic pollutants, which may ultimately pose a threat to human health. In the pursuit of understanding microplastics' fate, behavior, and toxicity, there is a vital need to understand their aging and weathering. For this, multiple weathering setup designs were put forward. However, standardization of a weathering setup presents a significant challenge to the field due to apparatus costs, wide range of experimental parameters, or the lack of detailed reporting. This work seeks to make much-needed data gathering more accessible by constructing a low-cost weathering chamber that simulates Mediterranean shore conditions. The weathering chamber incorporates UV irradiation, mechanical abrasion, and elevated temperatures. After extensive preliminary testing, the chamber was able to achieve the desired outcome along with UV-A irradiance values, which were similar to those in the Mediterranean.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustration of the weathering chamber employed in this study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Spectrum of the metal halide bulb measured by a spectral light meter.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Variation of the total irradiance with distance from the metal halide lamp for the “Open” condition. Errors bars represent the standard deviation of 20 repeated readings.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Results for the irradiance test conducted at 60 cm from the bulb for the “Open”, “Closed”, and “Foil” conditions. The data and error bars for Malta denote the range of irradiance throughout the year as reported in the literature.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Results of the irradiance test conducted with the switch on individually and simultaneously inside the chamber. The data and error bars for Malta denote the range of irradiance throughout the year as reported in the literature.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Variation of UV-A irradiance with distance from the bulbs in the weathering chamber.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Interior of the “Light” box. Photograph taken by J. Galea.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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