Dynamic formation of microplastics from plastic waste in landfill leachate pressure-bearing zone

Yuyang Long¹, Dongyan Jin¹, Jing Hou¹, Dongsheng Shen¹, Qi Yin¹, Lifang Hu², Chenran Fang³, Min Zhu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, Zhejiang Engineering Research Center of Non-ferrous Metal Waste Recycling, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China.
² College of Energy Environment and Safety Engineering, College of Carbon Metrology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China.
³ College of Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310023, China.
⁴ Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, Zhejiang Engineering Research Center of Non-ferrous Metal Waste Recycling, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China. Electronic address: zhumin2562@zjgsu.edu.cn.

PMID: 41319641
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128169

Dynamic formation of microplastics from plastic waste in landfill leachate pressure-bearing zone

Yuyang Long et al. J Environ Manage. 2025.

. 2025 Nov 29:396:128169.

doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128169. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yuyang Long¹, Dongyan Jin¹, Jing Hou¹, Dongsheng Shen¹, Qi Yin¹, Lifang Hu², Chenran Fang³, Min Zhu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, Zhejiang Engineering Research Center of Non-ferrous Metal Waste Recycling, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China.
² College of Energy Environment and Safety Engineering, College of Carbon Metrology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China.
³ College of Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310023, China.
⁴ Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, Zhejiang Engineering Research Center of Non-ferrous Metal Waste Recycling, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China. Electronic address: zhumin2562@zjgsu.edu.cn.

PMID: 41319641
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128169

Abstract

The leachate pressure-bearing zone in landfill sites is an important source and sink of microplastics (MPs), yet the formation processes and mechanisms under these conditions remain unclear. This study investigated MPs dynamics from plastic waste under simulated landfill conditions, revealing critical differences between plastic types. Polyethylene (PE) showed minimal fragmentation, while poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/polylactic acid (PBAT/PLA) generated substantial MPs (up to 1.39 × 10⁶ items/L) under atmospheric pressure, with particles below 100 μm progressively dominating the size distribution. Temperature emerged as the primary driver of MP formation, accelerating PBAT/PLA depolymerization and leading to surface formation of carbonyl, hydroxyl, and ether groups. Conversely, pressure indirectly suppressed MP release by inhibiting microbial activity. Leachate parameters (DOC/COD) effectively predicted MP dynamics, providing practical monitoring indicators. These results elucidated the mechanisms of MP generation in landfill pressure environments, offering valuable insights for MP pollution control and waste management strategies.

Keywords: Depolymerization; Landfill; Microplastics; Pressure-bearing; Temperature.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Dynamic formation of microplastics from plastic waste in landfill leachate pressure-bearing zone

Affiliations

Dynamic formation of microplastics from plastic waste in landfill leachate pressure-bearing zone

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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