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Exploring the influence of key extracellular polymeric substances components on nanoplastic mobility in seawater-saturated porous media during biofilm formation
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Researchers tracked how biofilm age and extracellular polymer composition on sand grains affect nanoplastic mobility through seawater-saturated sediment columns, finding that the loosely bound fraction of extracellular polymers — particularly its humic substances — enhances nanoplastic transport, while proteins in those polymers reduce it.
Although the influence of biofilm formation on marine porous media and the associated secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on nanoplastic (NP) transport has been well studied, the roles of specific EPS subcomponents, such as loosely bound (LB-EPS) and tightly bound (TB-EPS) fractions, produced by bacteria at different growth stages remain poorly understood. Also unclear are the functions and mechanisms of certain chemical constituents within EPS, including proteins, polysaccharides, and humic substances. This study examines how biofilms and their EPS affect the transport of NPs through seawater-saturated sand columns. Our results show that biofilm age significantly affects the effluent recovery rate of NPs (M). The highest recovery rates were observed in biofilms aged 24 h (68.18 %) and 144 h (68.45 %), compared to only 53.96 % in the uncolonized sand control. Similarly, the presence of EPS coatings on sand grains also enhanced NP mobility, with recovery rates of 64.67 % at 24 h and 61.51 % at 144 h. Further analysis separating EPS into LB-EPS and TB-EPS revealed that LB-EPS influences NP recovery in a manner similar to that of intact biofilms, and its effect is more pronounced than that of TB-EPS. Component analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between protein content and M (P < 0.05, r = -0.9842), and a significant positive correlation with humic substances (P < 0.05, r = 0.9823). The protein-to-polysaccharide ratio, an indicator of sand surface hydrophobicity, was negatively correlated with M (P < 0.05, r = -0.9869). Finally, proteins and humic substances within LB-EPS were identified as key factors regulating NP transport, showing strong correlations at P < 0.001 (r = -0.9994) and P < 0.01 (r = 0.9920), respectively.
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Researchers found that the type of extracellular polymeric substance corona — hard versus soft — formed by marine Pseudomonas aeruginosa governs divergent transport mechanisms of nanoplastics in seawater-saturated porous media. Tightly bound EPS produced hydrophobic 'hard coronas' that reduced nanoplastic mobility, while loosely bound EPS formed 'soft coronas' that enhanced transport, with distinct chemical compositions driving these differences.
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The eco-corona that forms on nanoplastic surfaces through interaction with humic substances and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) was found to critically determine nanoplastic mobility through saturated porous media. Humic-coated nanoplastics showed greater mobility than EPS-coated ones, suggesting natural organic matter composition governs nanoplastic transport in groundwater systems.
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Researchers examined how three types of algae polysaccharides affect the aggregation and transport of nanoplastics through seawater-saturated sand. They found that coating nanoplastics with these natural compounds dramatically changed their mobility, with sodium alginate and fucoidan reducing aggregation and increasing transport through the porous media. The study suggests that naturally occurring algae compounds in marine environments may significantly influence where nanoplastics end up.
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Researchers examined the transport of surface-functionalized nanoplastics through seawater-saturated sea sand, finding that carboxyl-functionalized particles had the highest mobility while positively charged amino-functionalized particles showed lowest recovery due to stronger attraction to sand surfaces and homoaggregation.
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