Icy reactors break down microplastics

Microplastics are persistent pollutants, reluctant to degrade. A great deal of them end up trapped in sea ice at the most remote corners of the globe. “Polar sea ice is often considered a ‘dead end’ for microplastics, due to the inhibition of chemical reactions at low temperatures,” says Zhang Lin, a chemist working on pollution control. Thus, not only do these pollutants immediately threaten polar ecosystems, they may also flow back into oceans, well preserved, after a thaw.

This is a preview of subscription content

留言 (0)

沒有登入
gif