Microplastic (MP) contamination represents a serious threat for marine organisms. Several lab studies demonstrated adverse effects induced by exposure to different MP polymers toward diverse marine species. However, the information regarding toxicity of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) MPs is largely unknown. The present study was aimed at investigating the adverse effects induced by 7-day exposure to two concentrations (0.125 or 12.5 µg/ml) micronized, irregular shaped and variable size PET microparticles (PET-MPs) toward Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum). Histological analyses were performed to assess tissue damage on digestive glands, gonads, gut and gills, whereas oxidative stress-related effects, including the concentration of pro-oxidant molecules, activity of antioxidant (superoxide dismutase – SOD, catalase – CAT and glutathione peroxidase – GPx) and detoxifying (glutathione S-transferase – GST) enzymes, as well as levels of lipid peroxidation, were determined in gills and digestive gland. Our results showed that clams ingest and egest micronized PET-MPs, but no marked histological alterations to bivalve tissues occurred. Although PET-MPs did not produce oxidative stress in the digestive gland, these materials significantly altered oxidative status of gills, leading to lipid peroxidation. No apparent clear indication of a weakness of bivalve health status was obtained in this study.

1,3-dioxolan-4-one (DOX) chemistry was explored for production of “one-pot” biobased polyester thermosets. DOX monomer was first functionalized by naturally occurring eugenol to introduce a structural element, which could induce crosslinking reaction through cationic polymerization of the double bond. The feasibility of polymerizing DOX monomers bearing bulky side groups was proved by model phenol-substituted DOX monomer (PhDOX). Once the reaction was shown to be effective, the same protocol was applied to eugenol-substituted monomer (EuDOX). A brief screening of the optimal catalyst concentration was performed, to obtain a highly crosslinked product. The synthesized thermoset showed good thermal resistance and high mechanical strength probably due to the rich aromatic content. The obtained thermoset was further subjected to microwave-assisted hydrothermal degradation test, which demonstrated complete recyclability to water or methanol soluble products. NMR and MALDI-MS analysis of the obtained degradation products unveiled the structure of the thermoset strongly indicating that the polymerization of eugenol functionalized DOX monomer resulted in polylactide-like chains connected with aromatic-aliphatic segments resulting from the reaction of the eugenol double bonds. The presence of free hydroxyl and carboxyl groups shed light to the mechanism behind the observed shape-memory and self-healing properties.