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Investigation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) absorption from seawater to model microplastic particles
Summary
Tiny plastic particles floating in seawater can act like sponges, soaking up toxic pollutants called PAHs (chemicals linked to cancer that come from sources like oil spills and burning fuel). This study found that certain plastics and pollutant combinations stick together more than others, meaning microplastics could be hitching a ride for these toxins through the ocean and potentially into the seafood we eat. Understanding which plastics absorb the most pollution helps scientists predict where these combined risks might be highest.
Microplastics (MPs) pollution in the aquatic ecosystems has aroused increasing concerns in recent years and are known to sorb polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from water, influencing the transport, retardment, and the bioavailability of PAHs.The MPs can also control the concentration of PAHs in the environment.In this study the sorption behaviour of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); phenanthrene (PHE), 1,3-dimethylnaphthalene (DMN) and fluoranthene (FLA), to different MP polymers; polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE) and polyester (PES), at two different temperatures, 10 and 20 °C, was investigated.Sorption equilibrium and isotherms were sought established for the different pairings of MP and PAHs.It was shown that fluoranthene and phenanthrene sorb on to MPs.The partitioning of 1,3-dimethylnaphthalene to the MPs showed negligible or negative values, and sorption could therefore not be observed.PE (10 µm) and fluoranthene had the largest sorption capacities of the MPs and the PAHS, respectively.The equilibration times were 5 days for fluoranthene, 9 days for phenanthrene at 10 °C and 7 days for phenanthrene at 20 °C, irrespective of polymer type and size used in the experiments.In this study, the goodness-of-fit of nonlinear forms of five common isotherm models, Dubinin-Ashtakhov, Freundlich, Langmuir, Dual Langmuir and Redlich-Peterson equations, were compared.One can use the values of R 2 , SSE, K and B, obtained from fitting the experimental isotherms, and the visual fit, to assess the sorption potential of PAHs to MPS.Thus, it was suggested that the Redlich-Peterson and the Dubinin-Ashtakhov isotherms were more useful for investigating the sorption behaviour of PAHs to PE-10 and PS-10, indicating adsorption as their main sorption process.The results showed that the linear regression method is more suitable for fitting the experimental sorption isotherms of PAHs to PE-100, indicating possible absorption as the MP's main sorption process.