A Mini-Review On The Microplastic-Heavy Metal Interactions And The Factors Affecting Their Fate In Aquatic Habitats

Microplastic particles found in water bodies are recognized a serious environmental concern due to their effects on aquatic biota. Microplastics, with their large surface area, are considered as vectors since they provide suitable surfaces for the adherence of several toxic pollutants, including heavy metals, pesticides, and nanoparticles. Several physico-chemical properties of plastic particles including chemical structure, polymer chain organization, specific surface area, and particle dimensions, and environmental parameters (ambient temperature, pH and salinity of the media and the dissolved organic matter concentration) may reshape the dynamic interactions between heavy metal ions and microplastic surfaces. Microplastic-heavy metal interaction poses a global health threat to aquatic biota and eventually human beings through the food chain since attached metal ions may be transported to aquatic organisms. Therefore, it is critical to clarify the mechanisms responsible for the adherence of metal ions to plastic surfaces. Such an approach will help government departments to promote management strategies and design of treatment practices. In this study, recent reports on the adherence of heavy metal ions to microplastic particles in aquatic habitats, along with the factors that might change the adsorption capacity of microplastics, are reviewed and discussed in detail.