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Biofilm-mediated mass transfer of sorbed benzo[a]pyrene from polyethylene to seawater

Environmental Pollution 2025 2 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 48 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Qiqing Chen, Yuan Li, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Yuan Li, Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Hongtao Liu, Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Qiqing Chen, Anwen Shen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Yuan Li, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Zhiguang Niu, Zhiguang Niu, Zhiguang Niu, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Yongzheng Ma, Qiqing Chen, Yongzheng Ma, Jing-En Xiao, Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Qiqing Chen, Yongzheng Ma, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Yongzheng Ma, Yongzheng Ma, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Jing-En Xiao, Zhiguang Niu, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Zhiguang Niu, Zhiguang Niu, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Zhiguang Niu, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Hongtao Liu, Yuan Li, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Yuan Li, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Zhiguang Niu, Ying Zhang Yuan Li, Ying Zhang Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Yongzheng Ma, Zhiguang Niu, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Zhiguang Niu, Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Qiqing Chen, Yongzheng Ma, Qiqing Chen, Anwen Shen, Qiqing Chen, Zhiguang Niu, Yongzheng Ma, Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Zhiguang Niu, Yongzheng Ma, Yongzheng Ma, Jing-En Xiao, Yongzheng Ma, Ying Zhang Ying Zhang Zhiguang Niu, Zhiguang Niu, Zhiguang Niu, Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Yongzheng Ma, Yongzheng Ma, Zhiguang Niu, Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Zhiguang Niu, Qiqing Chen, Zhiguang Niu, Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Qiqing Chen, Baizhu Chen, Zhiguang Niu, Zhiguang Niu, Yongzheng Ma, Yongzheng Ma, Ying Zhang Qiqing Chen, Ying Zhang Ying Zhang

Summary

Researchers studied how biofilm formation on polyethylene microplastics mediates the mass transfer of benzo[a]pyrene (a carcinogenic PAH) from plastic surfaces to seawater and marine organisms, finding that biofilm-covered plastics released benzo[a]pyrene more rapidly than clean particles.

Polymers

Study Type Environmental

Plastic waste, including microplastics (MPs), often serves as a carrier for hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) and additives in aquatic environments. However, little is known about the fate of contaminants in plastics, especially under the influence of biofilm in field conditions. In this study, polyethylene (PE) was pre-sorbed with varying concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a non-polar contaminant, and deployed in situ to study desorption kinetics under natural biofilm colonization. Based on the desorption kinetics of BaP from PE, a mass transfer model was developed to describe the desorption of non-polar contaminants from PE under the influence of biofilm formation. This study proved that biofilm, acting as an intermediary between plastics and the aquatic environment, did not serve as a sink for plastic-sorbed BaP, but accelerated the desorption process of BaP by reducing the partition coefficient between the plastic and the boundary layer. Furthermore, based on our developed model (IABL-ODD), the effects of biofilm on the fate of other non-polar and weakly polar contaminants in PE were predicted. This study highlights the influence of biofilm on the desorption of hydrophobic contaminants from plastics in field conditions and also informs future work on more relevant processes such as additive leaching.

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