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Interaction of humic acids with PN6 microplastics and increased affinity for radionuclides (U-232)

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 2025 2 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Ioannis Ioannidis, Eleftheria Antoniou, Vasiliki Kinigopoulou, Dimitrios A. Giannakoudakis, Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis, Ioannis Anastopoulos, Ioannis Pashalidis

Summary

Researchers found that coating polyamide nylon 6 microplastics with humic acid significantly increased their ability to adsorb the radioactive isotope uranium-232, particularly in acidic and neutral water, though adsorption dropped in seawater due to competing ions. This reveals that microplastics in humic-rich freshwater environments can become carriers for radionuclides, adding a nuclear contamination dimension to the already complex hazards of plastic pollution.

Polymers
PA nylon
Study Type Environmental

This study investigates the adsorption behavior of U-232 by polyamide nylon 6 (PN6) microplastics (MPs), prior and after humic acid (HA) coating. Varius factos such as contact time, temperature and pH, solution composition on the U-232 adsorption have been investigated. HA-coated MPs exhibited superior U-232 uptake, particularly in acidic and neutral solutions. In seawater the adsorption efficiency diminishes, around 20%, due to competition with naturally occurring ions and carbonate anions, which form stable U(VI) complexes in solution. These findings illuminate the nuanced role of HA-coating in shaping MPs’ environmental fate and properties as radionuclide carriers.

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