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Adsorption of perfluoroalkyl substances on microplastics under environmental conditions
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Researchers examined the capacity of three types of microplastics to sorb 18 perfluoroalkyl substances from freshwater and seawater. They found that perfluorosulfonates and sulfonamides had the strongest tendency to adsorb onto microplastics, with polystyrene showing greater affinity for these chemicals than polyethylene. The study suggests that microplastics in aquatic environments can concentrate harmful PFAS compounds, potentially increasing exposure for organisms that ingest them.
Plastic debris has become an environmental problem during recent years. Among the plastic debris, microplastics (<5 mm; MPLs) imply an extra problem due to their capacity to enter into the fauna through ingestion. In this work, we study the capacity of three MPLs, that include high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polystyrene (PS) and polystyrene carboxylate (PS-COOH), to sorb 18 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs; including carboxylic acids, sulphonates and one sulphonamide) from the surrounding waters (freshwater and seawater). Conclusions drawn from the results are that perfluoro sulphonates and sulphonamides have more tendency to be sorbed onto MPLs. In addition, PS and PS-COOH have more affinity for PFASs than HDPE. Finally, the increment of conductivity and pH of the water decreases the exposure time that is necessary to reach equilibrium. However, the presence of salts decreases the tendency of PFASs to be sorbed onto plastic surfaces. These results highlight the problem associated with the presence of MPLs in inland and marine waters since toxic compounds can be sorbed onto surrounding plastics that could be ingested by aquatic fauna.
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