Abstract
Biodegradable plastics are increasinglypromoted as sustainablealternatives to conventional plastics; however, their potential torelease microplastics (MPs, >1 μm) and nanoplastics (NPs,10–1000nm) during use remains poorly understood.
This study compared particlerelease from polyethylene (PE)-lined and polylactic acid (PLA)-linedsingle-use paper cups under hot water conditions using an integratedanalytical workflow combining pyrolysis–gas chromatography–massspectrometry (Py-GC-MS), asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionationwith multiangle light scattering (AF4-MALS) coupled with off-linePy-GC-MS, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and electron microscopy.
PLA-lined cups released approximately 12-fold higher total particlemass than PE-lined cups, with concentrations of 11.6 and 0.9 μg/L,respectively. PLA-derived nanoparticles were confirmed in 60–130nm and 200–300 nm fractions, whereas PE nanoparticles werenot detected. Surface analysis revealed physical deformation of PLAcoatings after hot water exposure without detectable chemical degradation.
These findings demonstrate that biodegradable plastics can releasenanoplastics during routine use, highlighting a previously overlookedpathway of consumer exposure.
