Table 3 Chronic ecotoxicity of microplastic particles towards R. subcapitata in the 72 h growth inhibition assay
Application / Purpose | Polymer | Hypotheses for testing | EC50 72 h [mg/L] | Agglomeration | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and variations of the same polymer backbones | TPU_ester_arom | • Thermoplastic vs. cross-linked • Ester vs. Ether backbone • aromatic vs. aliphatic soft segment • Influence of particle size as well as of polydispersity | > 100 | No | No impact of linking, backbone, aromaticity and state on R. subcapitata toxicity No impact of particle size in the µm-range on R. subcapitata toxicity |
TPU_ether_arom | > 100 | No | |||
TPU_ester_aliph | > 100 | No | |||
TPU_ether_aliph | > 100 | No | |||
PU_binder_aromatic 1 C | > 100 | No | |||
PU_binder_aromatic 2 C | > 100 | No | |||
PA-6 | > 100 | No | |||
Benchmark | HDPE_broad_distribution | • Influence of particle size as well as of polydispersity | > 100 | Minor | No impact of polydispersity on R. subcapitata toxicity |
PMMA (monodisperse) | > 100 | No | No impact of particle size in the nm-range on R. subcapitata toxicity |