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Hidden sinks of microplastics and nanoplastics in aquatic environments: The EPS-mediated eco-corona perspective
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Scientists have wondered why they find far less plastic pollution floating in lakes, rivers, and oceans than expected, this review suggests one answer: sticky natural substances produced by bacteria and algae coat tiny plastic particles, causing them to clump together and sink into deeper water and sediment rather than staying at the surface. This matters because current water testing mostly checks surface water, meaning we may be significantly underestimating how much microplastic is actually in aquatic ecosystems (and potentially in the fish and seafood we eat), since it's hiding deeper than we've been looking.
Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) levels in surface waters of aquatic systems are substantially lower than expected from estimated inputs. This "missing plastic" phenomenon has drawn attention to systematic gaps in how detect and classify particle states. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) mediated ecological corona (eco-corona) formation represents an interface transition. This process changes MNP surface properties and environmental behavior, yet it has received less systematic attention than biofouling, marine snow incorporation, and physical transport. This critical review examines how EPS governs the surface properties and interactions of MNPs. As a ubiquitous constituent of eco-coronas, EPS also shapes particle aggregation, vertical transfer, and bioavailability. EPS encounters MNPs through charge screening, polymer bridging, and gel-network entrapment. The eco-corona formation constitutes the true interface transformation. This transition alters colloidal stability and buoyancy. It also promotes heteroaggregation and co-settling, shifting MNPs from surface waters toward deeper waters and sediments. While this EPS-mediated pathway operates alongside other recognized processes, it represents a mechanistically distinct and being neglected to the apparent surface mediator of MNPs. Consequently, water quality approaches and risk assessments that rely exclusively on surface free particle levels may systematically underestimate actual MNP exposure and ecological hazards. This paper establishes a framework that links the molecular interface mechanism to macro-environmental behavior. It demonstrates that EPS-mediated eco-corona formation does not simply change risk; instead, it shifts the exposure context and redistributes MNPs across environmental compartments. These insights provide a foundation for refining risk assessments of MNPs in aquatic systems.
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Interaction of nanoplastics with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the aquatic environment: A special reference to eco-corona formation and associated impacts
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This review examines how nanoplastics in aquatic environments interact with natural biomolecules to form an eco-corona coating that fundamentally changes their behavior and ecological impact. Researchers found that this biological coating alters the surface chemistry, transport, and toxicity of nanoplastic particles in ways that depend on environmental conditions. The study highlights that understanding eco-corona formation is essential for accurately assessing the real-world risks of nanoplastic pollution.
Assessment of Microplastic Pollution in Urban Lakes of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and Its Potential Mitigation Using Bacterial Extracellular Polymeric Substances (eps)
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Researchers checked water from two urban lakes in Coimbatore, India for tiny plastic particles and tested whether a substance made by bacteria could clump them together. The substance formed visible clumps with the plastic particles in water samples, suggesting it may help gather microplastics, though exact plastic amounts and how well this method works still need further study.
The interaction of micro/nano plastics and the environment: Effects of ecological corona on the toxicity to aquatic organisms.
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This review examines how the ecological corona — the layer of organic matter, proteins, and microbes that form on micro- and nanoplastic surfaces in water — affects their toxicity to aquatic organisms. The ecological corona can either increase or decrease toxicity depending on its composition, making real-world plastic hazard assessment more complex than laboratory tests with clean particles suggest.
Impacts of extracellular polymeric substances on the behaviors of micro/nanoplastics in the water environment
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This review examines how extracellular polymeric substances produced by microorganisms interact with micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments. Researchers found that these natural polymers can form coatings on plastic particles that enhance pollutant adsorption and promote sinking, influencing how microplastics are transported, distributed, and ultimately removed from the water column.
Biofilm (Eco-Corona) Formation from Microplastics in Freshwater
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This review examines eco-corona and biofilm formation on microplastics in freshwater environments, explaining how microbial colonization of plastic surfaces changes their buoyancy, surface chemistry, and biological interactions, with implications for MP transport and ecotoxicity.
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