We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Coexistence and Adsorption Properties of Heavy Metals by Polypropylene Microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers analysed the adsorption of lead, copper, cadmium, and zinc onto polypropylene microplastics using scanning electron microscopy, FTIR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, elucidating the coexistence and adsorption mechanisms by which microplastics act as carriers of heavy metal pollutants.
Plastic particles with a diameter of 5 mm or less are called microplastics. Microplastics are one of the primary sources of pollution in the environment. It has been proven that microplastics are also carriers of heavy metals, but there are few studies on their adsorption mechanism. In this study, the adsorption of Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn by polypropylene (PP) microplastics was analyzed and discussed. The morphology of PP was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the surface elemental composition of PP was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the functional groups of PP were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that the adsorption behavior of microplastics to different heavy metals could be balanced in 32 hours. Kinetics experiments showed that the adsorption process could be fitted well by a two-stage dynamic model, and the adsorption of Pb and Cu by PP is greater than that of Cd and Zn. The Freundlich model has the best fitting effect on Pb for the adsorption isothermal results. The Langmuir model showed that the process is favorable for adsorption. The adsorption of mixed heavy metals by microplastics showed that when the concentration of the mixed adsorption mass was low, the presence of a coexistence system promoted the adsorption of Zn and Cu by microplastics. With an increasing concentration, the adsorption of 4 heavy metals by microplastics is inhibited.
More Papers Like This
Adsorption of Cadmium, Copper and Lead on Polypropylene and Polyethylene Microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
This laboratory study measured how cadmium, copper, and lead adsorb onto polypropylene and polyethylene microplastic particles in seawater, finding that microplastics concentrate these toxic metals at levels well above surrounding water concentrations. The results reinforce concerns that microplastics act as carriers of heavy metal contamination in marine ecosystems.
Study of Pb2 +, Cu2 + and Ni2 + metal adsorption phenomenon in polyethylene microplastic
AI summary Read the abstract
This study examined how polyethylene microplastics adsorb heavy metals — specifically lead, copper, and nickel — from water, with implications for how plastic pollution can concentrate and transport toxic contaminants in aquatic environments.
Kinetics and Size Effects on Adsorption of Cu(II), Cr(III), and Pb(II) Onto Polyethylene, Polypropylene, and Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastic Particles
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how copper, chromium, and lead ions adsorb onto polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET microplastic particles of different sizes. The study found that smaller microplastic particles had greater adsorption capacity for heavy metals, with lead showing the highest adsorption levels, particularly on PET particles, suggesting increased environmental risk when tiny microplastics and heavy metals coexist.
Sorption properties of cadmium on microplastics: The common practice experiment and A two-dimensional correlation spectroscopic study
AI summary Read the abstract
Laboratory experiments examined how cadmium adsorbs onto microplastics of different polymer types and aging states, finding that surface chemistry and weathering significantly affect how much heavy metal the plastics can carry. This matters because microplastics contaminated with heavy metals represent a dual pollution risk when ingested by aquatic organisms.
Adsorption of three bivalent metals by four chemical distinct microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers measured the sorption of copper, cadmium, and lead onto four types of microplastic particles — including chlorinated PE, PVC, and two PE variants — finding that higher crystallinity and surface area drove greater metal adsorption, and that all four plastics had different capacities for each metal.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.