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Aging significantly increases the interaction between polystyrene nanoplastic and minerals
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Researchers investigated how environmental aging by UV light and chemical oxidation changes the way polystyrene nanoplastics interact with mineral particles. They found that aging significantly increased the nanoplastics' ability to bind to common minerals like kaolinite and goethite. The study suggests that weathered nanoplastics in the environment may behave very differently from the pristine particles typically used in laboratory studies.
With the massive use and discarding of plastic products, plastic particles, including nanoplastics (NPs), which are continuously released under the action of environmental factors, are posing greater risk to the ecosystem and human health. NPs exposed to the environment experience aging, which can significantly change their physical and chemical properties and affect their environmental behavior. Here, we examined the adsorption behavior of polystyrene nanoplastic (PSNP) aging by ultraviolet (UV) exposure on different minerals (goethite, magnetite, kaolinite and montmorillonite). Aging not only changes the surface morphology of PSNP, but also increases the surface negative charge and produces a large number of oxygen-containing functional groups (OFGs). Incubation of aged PSNP with minerals indicated that iron oxides (goethite and magnetite) showed stronger interactions with aged PSNP than pristine PSNP, and there was an interaction between clay minerals and aged PSNP. The adsorption experiments and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) suggested that the higher adsorption capacity of a mineral surface to aged PSNP may be related to electrostatic attraction and ligand exchange. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra after adsorption showed that the adsorption affinity between the functional groups was different, and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) analysis further indicated that the mineral preferentially adsorbed the aged PSNP in accordance with the order of OFGs. The findings provide a theoretical basis for scientific evaluation of ecological risks of NPs in the environment.
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Charge mediated interaction of polystyrene nanoplastic (PSNP) with minerals in aqueous phase
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Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with common soil and sediment minerals, finding that positively charged iron oxide minerals (goethite and magnetite) strongly adsorb nanoplastics via electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding, while negatively charged clay minerals do not — providing mechanistic insight into how nanoplastics may accumulate in iron-rich soils and sediments.
Aggregation kinetics of UV irradiated nanoplastics in aquatic environments
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Researchers compared the aggregation behavior of fresh versus UV-aged polystyrene nanoplastics under various aquatic conditions. They found that UV aging altered the surface chemistry of nanoplastics, making them more stable in water and less likely to aggregate, which means they could remain suspended and bioavailable for longer periods. The study suggests that weathered nanoplastics may behave very differently from fresh particles in the environment, complicating risk assessments.
Influence of aging on the affinity between microplastics and organic contaminants
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Researchers investigated how UV and UV+H2O2 aging affects the capacity of polystyrene microplastics to adsorb and release pesticides and other organic contaminants, finding that aging-induced surface changes significantly altered adsorption affinity and desorption behavior compared to unaged controls.
UV-aged nanoplastics induced stronger biotoxicity to earthworms: Differential effects and the underlying mechanisms of pristine and aged polystyrene nanoplastics
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Researchers compared the toxicity of pristine versus UV-aged polystyrene nanoplastics on earthworms and found that aged nanoplastics caused significantly stronger harmful effects. At higher concentrations, aged nanoplastics increased earthworm mortality by 11.1% and reduced reproduction, with the enhanced toxicity attributed to changes in surface properties that occur during environmental UV weathering.
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