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Influence and mechanism of the vertical distribution of Cu, Cd, and Pb at a simulated sediment–water interface covered by degradable microplastics
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Researchers conducted a 400-day simulated lake experiment to investigate how three degradable microplastics — poly(epsilon-caprolactone), polybutylene succinate, and poly(butylene adipate terephthalate) — influenced the vertical distribution of Cu, Cd, and Pb at a sediment-water interface, finding that PBAT microplastics showed the highest heavy metal adsorption capacity.
Currently research on microplastics in the environment focuses on non-degradable microplastics with little attention to research on degradable microplastics. This study involved a 400-day experiment in a simulated lake environment of three degradable microplastics, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), polybutylene succinate (PBS), and poly(butylene adipate terephthalate) (PBAT) at the sediment water interface. Results showed that (1) for the three microplastics, Cd concentration showed a large change from 0 to 20 mm in the water above the sediment interface; the adsorption of Cd, Pb, and Cu in a diffusive gradients thin film (DGT) device are the highest in PBAT micro plastic, followed by PCL and then PBS. (2) Diffuse flux (J) of the three degradable microplastics indicated that Cu, Cd, and Pb in the sediments come from the overlying water that was added to the simulation experiment. (3) Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) for investigating the adsorption capacity of Cu, Cd, and Pb in the three degradable microplastics showed the absorption peak intensity increased and widened, and some adsorption sites changed. (4) Correlation analysis showed that the factors which most influenced diffusion flux for both water and sediments are oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), followed by organic matter (OM), pH, and electrical conductivity (EC).
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Researchers compared how four common types of microplastics adsorb lead and cadmium heavy metals in aquatic environments. The study found that polypropylene had the highest adsorption capacity for both metals, with oxygen-containing functional groups playing a key role in the adsorption process, suggesting that different microplastic types pose varying levels of environmental risk as heavy metal carriers.
Time-dependent modeling of Cd competitive adsorption in sediment–microplastic heterogeneous systems
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When microplastics and contaminated sediment share the same environment, they compete for the same toxic heavy metals — and this study shows that microplastics actually reduce the sediment's ability to absorb cadmium by occupying the most reactive binding sites. The effect is most pronounced in the first 30 minutes of exposure and at higher cadmium concentrations, with polypropylene microplastics at 2–5% concentration being particularly disruptive. Understanding this competitive dynamic is essential for accurately predicting how cadmium and other heavy metals move through aquatic environments contaminated with both plastics and industrial pollutants.
The potential of microplastics as carriers of metals
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Five types of microplastics were tested for their ability to adsorb heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) in different water matrices, finding significant adsorption of lead, chromium, and zinc—especially on polyethylene and PVC—with surface area and porosity as key drivers. The study identifies microplastics as potential vectors for heavy metal transport and transfer through aquatic food chains.
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