Environmental risk assessment of microplastics and nanoplastics generated from biodegradable plastics in marine ecosystem

Biodegradable plastics are regarded as promising substitutes for conventional plastics to avoid the pollution of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) in the environment. However, the MNPs generated from biodegradable plastics in the marine environment have attracted great attention recently. This paper comprehensively analyzes the study status of fate and environmental risk assessment of the MNPs generated from biodegradable plastics in the marine ecosystem. The impacts of the MNPs generated from biodegradable plastics on aggregation in seawater, marine sediment biogeochemical cycle and ecotoxicological effects on marine organisms are reviewed and compared with the MNPs generated from conventional plastics. Further studies should focus on the environmental behavior during the lifetime of biodegradable plastics, as well as the degradation strategies and performance-enhanced product design of biodegradable plastics.