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Sorption Mechanisms and Behavior of Benzene Series Compounds by Microplastics in Aqueous Solution
Summary
Microplastics don't just passively accumulate in the environment — they actively absorb toxic chemicals, and this study examined how three common plastic types (polyethylene, polypropylene, and PVC) take up benzene-related compounds found in fuels and industrial solvents. Polypropylene showed the highest absorption capacity, while the mechanisms differed between plastic types: polyethylene absorbed chemicals throughout its bulk, whereas PP and PVC relied more on surface adsorption. This matters because plastics acting as chemical sponges can concentrate pollutants and then release them when ingested by animals or humans.
Owing to their small size and surface hydrophobicity, microplastics (MPs) tend to act as vectors for various organic pollutants. However, in contrast to well-studied pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the sorption of benzene-series compounds on MPs has been seldom studied. To investigate the sorption process, the isotherms were determined for the sorption of three benzene-series sorbates by three polymers with different physicochemical properties. The linear sorption isotherms observed for PE indicate that sorbate uptake was dominated by partitioning into the bulk polymer. In contrast, the non-linear isotherms of PP and PVC imply that adsorption onto surfaces was the dominant mechanism. Sorption capacity of m-xylene and ethylbenzene increased in the following order: polyvinyl chloride (PVC) < polyethylene (PE) < polypropylene (PP). This order does not reflect the polarity or the crystallinity of the investigated MPs, suggesting the influence of additional factors (e.g., glass transition temperature, specific surface area) on the sorption of BTEX by MPs. In addition, the particle size and morphology of MPs are also factors affecting sorption capacity. The strong correlation between the sorption coefficients and sorbate hydrophobicity indicates that the hydrophobic interactions played a crucial role. Meanwhile, specific sorbate properties, such as electronic structure and molecular polarizability, are also significant factors that affect the sorption behaviors.