High-density polyethylene containing 12% of 13C as a stable radioisotope
The issue of the spread of microplastics (MPs) in ecosystems and living organisms has gained increasing importance over the last decade, due to studies that have demonstrated both their ubiquitous presence in all marine and terrestrial environments and their potential toxicity once they have translocated into tissues and biological systems, including human ones. To deepen the understanding of the dynamics of diffusion, translocation, environmental impact, and possible remediation processes through biodegradation of MPs, sensitive and selective detection methods in complex environmental matrices are necessary. One solution that is gaining growing interest is the use of stable isotopes-labeled MPs.
In this regard, LMPE is able to provide high-density polyethylene, one of the most widely used synthetic polymers, containing 12% of 13C as a stable radioisotope, in micronized form for ecological and ecotoxicological studies on the environmental fate of MPs.
References
S.J.Taipale, E. Peltomaa, J.V.K. Kukkonen, et al. Tracing the fate of microplastic carbon in the aquatic food web by compound-specific isotope analysis. Sci Rep 9,19894 (2019).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55990-2
Vaksmaa, L. Polerecky, N. Dombrowski, M. V. M. Kienhuis, I. Posthuma, J. Gerritse, T. Boekhout, H. Niemann. Polyethylene degradation and assimilation by the marine yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. ISME Communications 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43705-023-00267-z
Mauel, A., Pötzschner, B., Meides, N., Siegel, R., Strohriegl, P., & Senker, J. (2022). Quantification of photooxidative defects in weathered microplastics using 13C multiCP NMR spectroscopy. RSC Advances, 12(18), 10875–10885. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2ra00470d
J.S. Vesamäki, R. Nissinen, M. J. Kainz, M. Pilecky, M. Tiirola, S. J. Taipale. Decomposition rate and biochemical fate of carbon from natural polymers and microplastics in boreal lakes. Frontiers in Microbiology 13, 2022. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1041242
Goudriaan, M., Morales, V. H., van der Meer, M. T. J., Mets, A., Ndhlovu, R. T., van Heerwaarden, J., Simon, S., Heuer, V. B., Hinrichs, K. U., & Niemann, H. (2023). A stable isotope assay with 13C-labeled polyethylene to investigate plastic mineralization mediated by Rhodococcus ruber. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 186(November 2022), 114369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114369
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