Effects of stirring time on formation of microplastics fragmented from photo-aged polypropylene

This paper examines the evolution of microplastic (MP) size distributions fragmented from photo-aged polypropylene (PP) in stirred water. PP specimens fragmented into MPs with their size of 1-30 μm after UV irradiation and stirring in laboratory settings. These laboratory-fragmented MPs were dispersed into the water during the stirring process. A series of MP size distributions was analyzed from optical microscope images of obtained MPs. The MP size distribution was described by an exponential function in the short stirring period, whereas it changed to a power-law function as the stirring time increased. The fragmentation rate of MPs and nanoplastics (NPs) decreased with increasing stirring time. The obtained MP exhibited higher crystallinity than the photo-aged PP specimen after stirring. This result implies that MP fragmentation, as observed under controlled laboratory conditions, is related with the chemi-crystallization of PP.