We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Influence of biofilms on the adsorption behavior of nine organic emerging contaminants on microplastics in field-laboratory exposure experiments
Summary
Researchers studied how natural biofilms that form on microplastics in lake water affect the adsorption of nine emerging organic contaminants. The study found that biofilm colonization on microplastic surfaces can significantly alter how these particles interact with pollutants, in some cases increasing and in others decreasing contaminant uptake compared to clean microplastics.
Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in aquatic environments, which are important carriers of emerging contaminants (ECs). Biofilms can be attached to the surface of MPs in a natural aquatic environment, which may influence chemical adsorption; however, knowledge of its impact is still limited. This study investigated the effect of biofilms on MPs on the adsorption of ECs through field-laboratory exposure experiments. Three types of MPs were naturally colonized with biofilms in lake. Then, biofilm-absent/biofilm-attached MPs were exposed to nine EC solutions at a concentration of 8 μg/L of each compound in laboratory. Most compounds exhibited 3.8 times lower concentrations on biofilm-attached MPs than on biofilm-absent MPs; only a few compounds showed enhanced adsorption. Pseudo-equilibrium was achieved within 72 h based on adsorption kinetics, implying fast adsorption of ECs on biofilm-attached MPs. The partition coefficients (K) for biofilm-attached MPs were 0.14 (diclofenac) to 535 (miconazole) L/kg and were positively correlated with octanol/water partition coefficients (K). This indicated that chemical properties (such as K) of the compounds determined their final adsorption amounts on MPs, although these were influenced by the presence of the biofilm. Hence, multiple influencing factors should be considered when evaluating the carrier potential of MPs for ECs in aquatic environments.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Effect of Biofouling on the Sorption of Organic Contaminants by Microplastics
Researchers studied how biofilm formation on microplastics affects their ability to absorb organic contaminants in aquatic environments. They found that as biofilms grew over 5 to 15 days on plastic surfaces, the sorption of hydrophilic compounds like methylene blue increased, while hydrophobic compound sorption was less affected. The study suggests that biofouling changes the surface chemistry of microplastics in ways that may alter how they transport different pollutants through water systems.
Exaggerated interaction of biofilm-developed microplastics and contaminants in aquatic environments
Researchers found that biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces exaggerates the adsorption and vector capacity for co-contaminants in aquatic environments, with biofilm-coated MPs showing substantially higher uptake of contaminants than pristine MPs.
Colonization characteristics and surface effects of microplastic biofilms: Implications for environmental behavior of typical pollutants
This review examines how bacteria colonize microplastic surfaces in water, forming biofilms that change how the plastics behave in the environment. These biofilms alter the surface properties of microplastics and affect how they absorb and transport heavy metals and other pollutants. Understanding biofilm formation on microplastics is important because it can make the particles more dangerous by concentrating toxic substances that could eventually enter the food chain.
Microplastics and organic contaminants: Investigation of the sorption process on different polymer types
Researchers investigated sorption of organic contaminants onto microplastics collected from environmental samples, finding that real-world MPs had different sorption capacities than laboratory-prepared particles due to surface aging, biofouling, and co-sorption of natural organic matter.
Exploring different effects of biofilm formation and natural organic matter adsorption on the properties of three typical microplastics in the freshwater
Researchers compared how natural biofilm growth versus dissolved organic matter adsorption changes the surface properties of three common microplastics in freshwater. Biofilm formation deposited more material and reduced surface area, while organic matter adsorption created pores and cracks that actually increased surface area, indicating early-stage plastic degradation. Both processes reduced the water-repelling properties of the plastics, which affects how microplastics behave and move through aquatic environments.