Reusing cellulose acetate microplastic fibres derived from discarded cigarette butts as superior adsorbent for lead ions: UV ageing, adsorption mechanisms and DOM investigation

Aging Characteristics and Adsorption Properties of Microplastics: Research Progress

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Tiny plastic bits (microplastics) don't just sit unchanged in the environment, sunlight, weather, and other natural forces break them down over time, and this "aging" process actually makes them better at soaking up toxic substances like heavy metals. This review pulls together existing research to show that aged microplastics may pose a bigger contamination risk than fresh ones, which matters because these particles can end up in our water, food, and eventually our bodies. Understanding how this works helps scientists better predict the real-world risks microplastics pose to human health.

Factors Affecting the Sorption of Pollutants by Microplastics: Mechanisms and Environmental Implications

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Researchers reviewed the physicochemical factors — including particle size, surface area, weathering state, and polymer type — that govern how microplastics sorb environmental pollutants, and examined the ecological implications of this vector effect for contaminant transport and bioavailability.

Adsorption Capacity of Microplastics on Sb in Water

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Laboratory experiments showed that five common microplastic types—PP, PE, PS, PET, and PVC—all adsorb antimony, a toxic heavy metal, from water, with polystyrene showing the highest uptake capacity. This confirms that microplastics act as vectors for hazardous metals in the environment, potentially concentrating toxins and delivering them to organisms that ingest the particles.

A potential threat from biodegradable microplastics: mechanism of cadmium adsorption and desorption in the simulated gastrointestinal environment

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Laboratory experiments found that biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics adsorb significant amounts of cadmium, and simulated gastrointestinal digestion dramatically increased cadmium bioaccessibility — 19% released in the gastric phase and 62% in the intestinal phase — far exceeding conventional PP and PA microplastics. This indicates that biodegradable plastics marketed as environmentally safer alternatives may pose heightened risks as heavy metal vectors in the human gut, challenging assumptions about their safety.

Simultaneous adsorption of Pb2+ and tetracycline onto pristine and aged polypropylene microplastics