2021 Volume 34 Issue 6 Pages 270-280
We investigated the effects of aging plastics on the photodegradation of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (TriCP), using polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheets. A comparison of the TriCP photodegradation constants on glass and plastic sheets indicated that photodegradation was accelerated on the virgin PE sheet, but suppressed on the PET and PVC sheets. The photodegradation rates of TriCP on aged PE, PET, and PVC were significantly lower than those on the corresponding virgin plastic samples and glass. The results confirmed that the aging of plastics affects the TriCP photodegradation of TriCP. Analyses of the aged plastic samples indicated valley formation. In addition, the transparency of the plastic sheets to UV was reduced, thereby indicating that a decrease in UV intensity may contribute to the suppressed photodegradation on the aged plastic sheets. Furthermore, the methanol extract of the plastic sheets suppressed the photodegradation of TriCP. These results confirm the need to consider aging effects when investigating the fate of organic pollutants adsorbed on plastics, due to changes in the textures and decreases in the transparency of plastics, and the potential leaching of additives into the environment.
