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Mountains of Plastic: Mismanaged Plastic Waste Along the Carpathian Watercourses
AI summary
This research investigated the interaction between microplastics and dissolved organic matter in freshwater systems, finding that natural organic coatings substantially altered particle surface properties and biological uptake rates. Organic matter conditioning of microplastic surfaces enhanced aggregation and sedimentation, affecting particle residence time and bioavailability in lake and river environments.
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Interaction of Dissolved Organic Matter with Particulate Plastics
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This book chapter examines how dissolved organic matter interacts with plastic particles in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The author discusses how organic coatings on microplastics affect their surface properties, transport behavior, and interactions with microorganisms.
Exploring different effects of biofilm formation and natural organic matter adsorption on the properties of three typical microplastics in the freshwater
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Researchers compared how natural biofilm growth versus dissolved organic matter adsorption changes the surface properties of three common microplastics in freshwater. Biofilm formation deposited more material and reduced surface area, while organic matter adsorption created pores and cracks that actually increased surface area, indicating early-stage plastic degradation. Both processes reduced the water-repelling properties of the plastics, which affects how microplastics behave and move through aquatic environments.
Interplay between microplastics and natural organic matter in association with environmental processes
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This review explores how microplastics interact with natural organic matter—the dissolved and particulate carbon that permeates soils and waterways—and how these interactions alter microplastic transport, surface chemistry, and biological availability. Because natural organic matter coats microplastics and changes their behavior, ignoring this interplay leads to underestimates of how far and how dangerously microplastics spread through ecosystems.
Adsorption of Freshwater Dissolved Organic Matter to Clay and Polyethylene Particles
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This University of Minnesota thesis investigated the adsorption of freshwater dissolved organic matter to clay and polyethylene particles, with implications for understanding how plastics acquire surface coatings in aquatic environments. The research characterized adsorption kinetics and equilibria to inform understanding of microplastic-organic matter interactions.
Interactions between Microplastics and Dissolved Organic Matter in the Fresh Water Environment
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This review explores how microplastics interact with dissolved organic matter (DOM) — the complex mixture of carbon compounds found in rivers and lakes — and what that means for freshwater ecosystems. Microplastics readily bind to DOM, altering its distribution in sediments and affecting the microbial communities that depend on it for food and energy. DOM can also change how far microplastics travel and how available they are to aquatic organisms. The interplay between these two classes of contaminant complicates efforts to predict microplastic behavior in the environment.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.