Environmental pollution from plastics and microplastics is currently one of the most relevant issues of the scientific community and cosmetic industry. In particular, microplastics are referred to as small pieces of plastic less than five millimeters (<5mm) and do not dissolve in water, can be harmful to the ocean and aquatic life. Microplastics can be designated as i) primary - particles that are intentionally developed as micro sized plastic particles used in cosmetic formulations like microbeads, and ii) secondary microplastics - stem from all kinds of plastic material debris result of decomposition caused by UV radiation, mechanical stress (ocean waves) and wind action. This article gives an overview about plastics/microplastics, that are mainly used in personal care products and cosmetic. Moreover, we attempt to demonstrated some of the major problems that microplastics based materials can cause in the aquatic life leading to a human health concern. In this context, the interaction between microplastic-contaminants and possible effects in the environment or organisms was explore based on the literature analysis.

Neste estudo a celulose obtida da palha de feijão foi utilizada para produzir um material hidrofóbico (acetato de celulose) para ser avaliado como absorvente de óleo. Nas reações de acetilação foram utilizados anidrido acético e dois catalisadores, a piridina (PY) e N-bromossuccinimida (NBS). Os materiais produzidos foram caracterizados por espectroscopia na região do infravermelho médio, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, difratometria de raios-X e análise elementar. O NBS mostrou-se mais eficiente que a PY e, seu uso resultou em materiais com maiores quantidades de grupos acetatos, mais hidrofóbicos e com maiores capacidades de absorção de óleo de soja.

In this work, cellulose from beans straw was used to produce a more hydrophobic material (cellulose acetate) for use as oil absorbent. Acetic anhydride was used in the reactions with two catalysts, pyridine (PY) and N-bromosuccinimide (NBS). The materials produced were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and elemental analysis. NBS proved more efficient than PY, with the resulting materials containing higher number of acetate groups, being more hydrophobic and with higher capacity to absorb soybean oil.