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Microplastics and disposable face masks as “Trojan Horse” for radionuclides pollution in water bodies – A review with emphasis on the involved interactions
Sustainable Chemistry for the Environment2023
30 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 50
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Vasiliki Kinigopoulou,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Michael Arkas,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Michael Arkas,
Vasiliki Kinigopoulou,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Vasiliki Kinigopoulou,
Vasiliki Kinigopoulou,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Vasiliki Kinigopoulou,
Michael Arkas,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Ioannidis,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Dimitrios A. Giannakoudakis
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Michael Arkas,
Vasiliki Kinigopoulou,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Michael Arkas,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Michael Arkas,
Dimitrios A. Giannakoudakis
Dimitrios A. Giannakoudakis
Michael Arkas,
Dimitrios A. Giannakoudakis
Vasiliki Kinigopoulou,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Dimitrios A. Giannakoudakis
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis,
Ioannis Anastopoulos,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Dimitrios A. Giannakoudakis
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Dimitrios A. Giannakoudakis
Dimitrios A. Giannakoudakis
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis,
Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis,
Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis,
Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Ioannis Pashalidis,
Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis,
Dimitrios A. Giannakoudakis
Summary
Researchers reviewed how microplastics and disposable face masks can adsorb radioactive particles (radionuclides like cesium-137 and uranium) and carry them through water environments, potentially concentrating radiation in the food chain. Key factors affecting this process include plastic type, particle size, and water chemistry, with some polymers showing adsorption partition coefficients as high as 2670 L/kg.
This review article focuses on the interaction of radionuclides (americium-241, uranium-232, radium-226, neptunium-237, cesium-137, iodine-125, strontium-90, thorium-234, and potassium-40) with different microplastics (polyamide (PN6), polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC)) and single-use surgical face (SSF) masks. It has been shown that microplastics (MPs) and SSF masks can act as carriers of radionuclides thus helping the toxic pollutants to migrate and concentrate into the environment and possibly enter the food chain. High values of adsorption affinity were reported for various polymers, with the adsorption partition coefficient reaching up 2670 (L/kg) in the case of U-232 adsorption on polyamide (PN6). Generally, the type and the particle size of MPs, the solution pH, and the nature of the aquatic system (de-ionized water, groundwater, and seawater) are found to be significant factors in radionuclides’ adsorption onto MPs. The mechanism of adsorption depends on various parameters and the formation of outer- or inner-sphere complexes between the radionuclide and specific sites/functional groups on MPs surface. Desorption of the radionuclides is also an important aspect since for instance, a high desorption rate was noticed in low pH (pH<4) and using complexing agents such as EDTA. Future work should focus on the investigation of the interaction of MPs and radionuclides using real wastewater, column studies, and multi-component systems. Biofilms’ growth on the MPs surface and studying the interaction of biofilm-coated microplastics with radionuclides would also be of particular interest.