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Influence of Concentration, Surface Charge, and Natural Water Components on the Transport and Adsorption of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Sand Columns

Nanomaterials 2024 3 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 40 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Hande Okutan, Gabriela Hul, Gabriela Hul, Serge Stoll Gabriela Hul, Gabriela Hul, Hande Okutan, Hande Okutan, Hande Okutan, Hande Okutan, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Serge Stoll Hande Okutan, Gabriela Hul, Serge Stoll Philippe Le Coustumer, Philippe Le Coustumer, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Serge Stoll Serge Stoll Serge Stoll Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Serge Stoll Stéphane Zimmermann, Philippe Le Coustumer, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Serge Stoll Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Philippe Le Coustumer, Philippe Le Coustumer, Philippe Le Coustumer, Serge Stoll Serge Stoll Serge Stoll Serge Stoll Serge Stoll Serge Stoll Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Stéphane Zimmermann, Serge Stoll Pascal Ramaciotti, Pascal Ramaciotti, Stéphane Zimmermann, Pascal Ramaciotti, Serge Stoll Stéphane Zimmermann, Serge Stoll Serge Stoll Pascal Ramaciotti, Pascal Ramaciotti, Pauline Perdaems, Serge Stoll Pascal Ramaciotti, Pascal Ramaciotti, Pauline Perdaems, Pauline Perdaems, Philippe Le Coustumer, Pauline Perdaems, Philippe Le Coustumer, Philippe Le Coustumer, Serge Stoll Serge Stoll Pauline Perdaems, Pauline Perdaems, Serge Stoll Philippe Le Coustumer, Serge Stoll Serge Stoll

Summary

Laboratory column experiments showed that nanoplastics made of polystyrene behave very differently in groundwater depending on their surface charge — positively charged particles were retained much more readily in sand than negatively charged ones, and the presence of natural organic matter in real lake water reduced the retention of both types. These findings matter for understanding whether nanoplastics released into the environment will travel through soil and reach drinking water sources, which depends critically on the plastic's surface chemistry.

Polymers

Information about the influence of surface charges on nanoplastics (NPLs) transport in porous media, the influence of NPL concentrations on porous media retention capacities, and changes in porous media adsorption capacities in the presence of natural water components are still scarce. In this study, laboratory column experiments are conducted to investigate the transport behavior of positively charged amidine polystyrene (PS) latex NPLs and negatively charged sulfate PS latex NPLs in quartz sand columns saturated with ultrapure water and Geneva Lake water, respectively. Results obtained for ultrapure water show that amidine PS latex NPLs have more affinity for negatively charged sand surfaces than sulfate PS latex NPLs because of the presence of attractive electrical forces. As for the Geneva Lake water, under natural conditions, both NPL types and sand are negatively charged. Therefore, the presence of repulsion forces reduces NPL's affinity for sand surfaces. The calculated adsorption capacities of sand grains for the removal of both types of NPLs from both types of water are oscillating around 0.008 and 0.004 mg g<sup>-1</sup> for NPL concentrations of 100 and 500 mg L<sup>-1</sup>, respectively. SEM micrography shows individual NPLs or aggregates attached to the sand and confirms the limited role of the adsorption process in NPL retention. The important NPL retention, especially in the case of negatively charged NPLs, in Geneva Lake water-saturated columns is related to heteroaggregate formation and their further straining inside narrow pores. The presence of DOM and metal cations is then crucial to trigger the aggregation process and NPL retention.

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