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Heteroaggregation kinetics of nanoplastics and soot nanoparticles in aquatic environments
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Researchers examined how polystyrene nanoplastics and soot particles aggregate together in aquatic environments, finding that particle ratio, salinity, pH, and dissolved organic matter all influence clumping rates — with calcium ions dramatically accelerating aggregation and potentially altering nanoplastic transport in coastal and marine waters.
Heteroaggregation between polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) and soot nanoparticles (STNPs) in aquatic environments may affect their fate and transport. This study investigated the effects of particle concentration ratio, electrolytes, pH, and humic acid on their heteroaggregation kinetics. The critical coagulation concentration (CCC) ranked CCC > CCC > CCC, indicating that heteroaggregation rates fell between homoaggregation rates. In NaCl solution, as the PSNPs/STNPs ratio decreased from 9/1 to 3/7, heteroaggregation rate decreased and CCC increased from 200 to 220 mM due to enhanced electrostatic repulsion. Outlier was observed at PSNPs/STNPs= 1/9, where CCC= 170 mM and homoaggregation of STNPs dominated. However, in CaCl solution where calcium bridged with STNPs, heteroaggregation rate increased and CCC decreased from 26 to 5 mM as the PSNPs/STNPs ratio decreasing from 9/1 to 1/9. In composite water samples, heteroaggregation occurred only at estuarine and marine salinities. Acidic condition promoted heteroaggregation via charge screening. Humic acid retarded or promoted heteroaggregation in NaCl or CaCl solutions by steric hindrance or calcium bridging, respectively. Other than van der Waals attraction and electrostatic repulsion, heteroaggregation was affected by steric hindrance, hydrophobic interactions, π - π interactions, and calcium bridging. The results highlight the role of black carbon on colloidal stability of PSNPs in aquatic environments.
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Combined effects of particle size and humic acid corona on the aggregation kinetics of nanoplastics in aquatic environments
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Researchers examined how humic acid coating and nanoplastic particle size interact to govern aggregation behavior, finding that while humic acid generally inhibits clumping in freshwater, calcium ions cause the coating on larger particles (100–200 nm) to promote aggregation through bridging — a size-dependent mechanism not seen in the smallest 40 nm particles tested.
Mechanistic understanding of the aggregation kinetics of nanoplastics in marine environments: Comparing synthetic and natural water matrices
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Researchers investigated aggregation kinetics of polystyrene nanoplastics in marine environments, finding that organic matter type and salt concentration strongly influenced particle stability, with nanoplastics in natural seawater aggregating differently than in synthetic matrices.
Aggregation kinetics of microplastics in aquatic environment: Complex roles of electrolytes, pH, and natural organic matter
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Researchers found that the aggregation behavior of polystyrene microplastics in water was strongly influenced by pH, ionic strength, and the presence of natural organic matter, with divalent cations like calcium and magnesium promoting aggregation. Understanding aggregation kinetics is critical for predicting how microplastics partition between suspended and settled states in natural water bodies.
Kinetic and thermodynamic investigation of nanoplastic stability in aquatic environments
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Researchers investigated how natural organic matter, salt types, and other aquatic colloids affect the aggregation stability of polystyrene nanoplastics in freshwater and saltwater conditions. The study found that multivalent cations caused nanoplastics to aggregate more rapidly, with implications for predicting how nanoplastics settle or remain suspended in natural water bodies.
Influence of environmental and biological macromolecules on aggregation kinetics of nanoplastics in aquatic systems
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Researchers studied how natural macromolecules like humic acid, alginate, and proteins influence the clumping behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics in water. They found that these macromolecules generally stabilized nanoplastics in sodium chloride solutions but caused them to aggregate in calcium chloride solutions, with effects varying by pH. The findings suggest that the environmental fate and transport of nanoplastics in natural waters depends heavily on the surrounding organic molecules and water chemistry.
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