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Microplastics enhance the adsorption capacity of zinc oxide nanoparticles: Interactive mechanisms and influence factors
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Researchers found that the presence of microplastics enhances the ability of zinc oxide nanoparticles to adsorb antibiotics from water, with aged microplastics showing different effects than virgin ones. The interactions between microplastics and nanoparticles were driven primarily by electrostatic forces, and factors like pH and humic acid further influenced adsorption rates. The study warns that microplastics may help spread antibiotic contamination more widely through aquatic environments.
Microplastics (MPs) are of particular concern due to their ubiquitous occurrence and propensity to interact and concentrate various waterborne contaminants from aqueous surroundings. Studies on the interaction and joint toxicity of MPs on engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are exhaustive, but limited research on the effect of MPs on the properties of ENPs in multi-solute systems. Here, the effect of MPs on adsorption ability of ENPs to antibiotics was investigated for the first time. The results demonstrated that MPs enhanced the adsorption affinity of ENPs to antibiotics and MPs before and after aging showed different effects on ENPs. Aged polyamide prevented aggregation of ZnONPs by introducing negative charges, whereas virgin polyamide affected ZnONPs with the help of electrostatic attraction. FT-IR and XPS analyses were used to probe the physicochemical interactions between ENPs and MPs. The results showed no chemical interaction and electrostatic interaction was the dominant force between them. Furthermore, the adsorption rate of antibiotics positively correlated with pH and humic acid but exhibited a negative correlation with ionic strength. Our study highlights that ENPs are highly capable of accumulating and transporting antibiotics in the presence of MPs, which could result in a widespread distribution of antibiotics and an expansion of their environmental risks and toxic effects on biota. It also improves our understanding of the mutual interaction of various co-existing contaminants in aqueous environments.
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Researchers quantified how microplastics interact with common antibiotic pollutants in natural water conditions, comparing virgin and environmentally aged polystyrene particles. They found that aged microplastics absorbed significantly more antibiotics than new ones due to increased surface area and chemical changes from weathering. The study suggests that as microplastics age in the environment, they become more effective at concentrating and transporting other harmful pollutants.
The effects of environmental conditions on the enrichment of antibiotics on microplastics in simulated natural water column
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Researchers investigated how environmental ageing conditions affect the ability of microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic tetracycline, finding that pH, ionic strength, and temperature had little effect, but humic acid significantly reduced adsorption capacity. The reduction was attributed to humic acid covering plastic surfaces, altering hydrophobicity, and competing for adsorption sites via electrostatic repulsion.
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Researchers investigated how zinc oxide nanoparticles attach to polypropylene and polystyrene microplastics under different water chemistry conditions. They found that UV-aged microplastics retained significantly more nanoparticles than fresh ones, and water pH and natural organic matter influenced the interaction. The study suggests that weathered microplastics in the environment are more effective at carrying metal contaminants, potentially increasing ecological risks.
Ecotoxicological effects of antibiotic adsorption behavior of microplastics and its management measures
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This review summarizes research on how microplastics adsorb antibiotics from the environment, creating combined pollutant complexes with potentially greater ecological harm. Researchers found that factors like plastic type, aging, and environmental conditions strongly influence how much antibiotic a microplastic particle can carry. The study highlights that these microplastic-antibiotic combinations may contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment.
Mechanisms of microplastics sorption of antibiotics and impacts on aquatic ecosystems for sustainable development goals
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This review examines how microplastics serve as carriers for antibiotics in aquatic ecosystems through sorption mechanisms including hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic forces, and chemical bonding. The study found that environmental factors like pH, salinity, and organic matter affect how antibiotics bind to microplastics, while weathering processes can transform microplastics into nanoplastics that potentially increase pollutant mobility.
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