Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The Impact of Microplastics on Adsorption of Chlorophenols by River-Suspended Sediments

This study investigated how the presence of microplastics in river water affects the ability of suspended sediments to adsorb toxic chlorophenol chemicals — pollutants found in herbicides and industrial discharges. The type of microplastic mattered greatly: PVC enhanced chlorophenol binding to sediment by up to 65%, while polystyrene and polyethylene actually reduced binding for certain chlorophenol types by competing for the same attachment sites. Environmental factors like pH, ionic strength, and the presence of humic acids further complicated the interactions. These findings show that microplastics don't just carry pollutants themselves — they can change how other contaminants behave in rivers, complicating risk assessments.

2025 Environmental Management 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Different partition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon on environmental particulates in freshwater: Microplastics in comparison to natural sediment

This study investigated how the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon phenanthrene partitions between water and three common plastic types, finding that polymer composition strongly influences sorption behavior. The results help explain how microplastics act as vectors for toxic organic compounds in aquatic environments.

2017 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 233 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics lag the leaching of phenanthrene in soil and reduce its bioavailability to wheat

Researchers found that polystyrene, polyethylene, and PVC microplastics delayed the downward leaching of phenanthrene through soil by adsorbing the contaminant, reducing its bioavailability to wheat, with adsorption capacity following the order PS > PE > PVC.

2021 Environmental Pollution 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of fluoranthene and phenanthrene by virgin and weathered polyethylene microplastics in freshwaters

Researchers examined how virgin and weathered polyethylene microplastics adsorb fluoranthene and phenanthrene in freshwater, finding that weathering significantly increased adsorption capacity and that water chemistry influenced contaminant uptake.

2022 Chemosphere 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Different sorption behaviours of pyrene onto polyethylene microplastics in a binary system with water and a ternary system with water and sediment

Researchers examined how pyrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, sorbs onto polyethylene microplastics in binary water-microplastic and ternary water-microplastic-sediment systems, finding that sediment presence significantly altered sorption behavior and partition coefficients. The study clarifies how environmental matrices influence the interaction between microplastics and co-occurring organic contaminants.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of Pyrene and Fluoranthene onto Common Microplastics Under Freshwater Conditions

Researchers investigated how two common polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pyrene and fluoranthene, bind to six different types of microplastic polymers under freshwater conditions. The study found significant differences in sorption capacity across polymer types, confirming that microplastics can act as vectors for transporting harmful organic pollutants through aquatic environments.

2026 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Microplastics meet micropollutants in a central european river stream: Adsorption of pollutants to microplastics under environmentally relevant conditions

Researchers investigated how microplastics adsorb organic micropollutants in a Central European river under real-world conditions. They found that aged microplastics showed higher adsorption capacity for contaminants compared to pristine ones, and that the type of plastic material influenced which pollutants were absorbed. The findings suggest that microplastics in rivers can act as carriers for harmful chemicals, potentially spreading contamination through aquatic ecosystems.

2024 Environmental Pollution 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption and Desorption Behaviour of Polychlorinated Biphenyls onto Microplastics’ Surfaces in Water/Sediment Systems

Researchers evaluated the adsorption and desorption behavior of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) onto polystyrene, polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics of varying sizes in marine water/sediment systems. Results showed that polymer type and particle size influenced PCB binding capacity, with microplastics acting as potential vectors for transferring persistent organic pollutants to marine biota through the food chain.

2020 Toxics 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of phenanthrene and its monohydroxy derivatives on polyvinyl chloride microplastics in aqueous solution: Model fitting and mechanism analysis

Researchers investigated the adsorption of phenanthrene and its four monohydroxy derivatives on polyvinyl chloride microplastics in aqueous solution, finding that phenanthrene adsorption was higher than that of its hydroxylated forms. The data fitted pseudo-second-order kinetics and Freundlich isotherm models, indicating that hydroxyl functional groups on pollutant molecules reduce their affinity for PVC microplastic surfaces.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental condition-dependent effects of aquatic humic substances on the distribution of phenanthrene in microplastic-contaminated aquatic systems

This study examined how varying concentrations and types of aquatic humic substances influence the distribution of phenanthrene between microplastics and water, finding that humic substance composition significantly modulates contaminant partitioning in microplastic-contaminated systems.

2024 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) with Varying Hydrophobicity on Macro- and Microplastic Polyvinyl Chloride, Polyethylene, and Polystyrene: Kinetics and Potential Mechanisms

Researchers found that both plastic size and polymer type influenced the adsorption of contaminants of emerging concern onto PVC, polyethylene, and polystyrene, with microplastics generally adsorbing more than macroplastics and contaminant hydrophobicity playing a key role in determining adsorption kinetics and capacity.

2022 Water 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative evaluation of sorption kinetics and isotherms of pyrene onto microplastics

This study compared how quickly and how much pyrene — a common polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon — is absorbed by different types of microplastics in aquatic environments. The results indicate that microplastic polymer type significantly affects how well it concentrates and potentially transports toxic organic chemicals.

2017 Chemosphere 354 citations
Article Tier 2

The adsorption process and mechanism of benzo[a]pyrene in agricultural soil mediated by microplastics

Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics affect the adsorption of the carcinogenic pollutant benzo[a]pyrene in agricultural soil. They found that PVC microplastics had the strongest capacity to adsorb this pollutant, increasing soil adsorption by nearly four times compared to soil alone. The study suggests that microplastics in agricultural soils may concentrate harmful organic pollutants, potentially altering their environmental fate and bioavailability.

2024 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The adsorption and desorption behaviors of phenanthrene and pyrene onto microplastics in the aquatic environment and digestive fluids

This study examined how polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) like phenanthrene and pyrene adsorb to and desorb from four types of microplastics in both freshwater and simulated digestive fluids. The findings show that PAHs bind strongly to microplastics and can be released under digestive conditions, suggesting that microplastics can deliver organic pollutants to organisms that ingest them.

2020 Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
Article Tier 2

Effects of virgin microplastics on the transport of Cd (II) in Xiangjiang River sediment

Six types of microplastics were found to change how cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) binds to and moves through river sediments. The presence of microplastics altered cadmium adsorption behavior, suggesting that plastics in river sediments can affect the mobility and bioavailability of co-occurring heavy metal pollutants.

2021 Chemosphere 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of 2-hydroxynaphthalene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene by polyvinyl chloride microplastics in water and their bioaccessibility under in vitro human gastrointestinal system

Researchers studied how polyvinyl chloride microplastics adsorb organic pollutants including naphthalene and pyrene, and then tested how these pollutants are released in simulated human digestive fluids. The study found that larger aromatic compounds with more rings adsorbed more strongly to microplastics, and that pollutant release rates were higher in human gastrointestinal fluid than in fish intestinal fluid.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on nutrients and metal concentrations in river sediments

Researchers investigated how microplastics influence nutrient and metal concentrations in river sediments, finding that microplastics alter the distribution of pollutants through their capacity to adsorb contaminants and support biofilm formation on their hydrophobic surfaces.

2020 Environmental Pollution 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of polyethylene microplastics on the vertical migration of pesticides in soil

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the vertical migration of pesticide mixtures in soil using stainless steel column experiments with sandy reference soil, finding that microplastics' hydrophobic surfaces and high sorption capacity altered the transport of 20 pesticides compared to uncontaminated soil.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Prediction of organic compounds adsorbed by polyethylene and chlorinated polyethylene microplastics in freshwater using QSAR

Researchers used QSAR modeling to predict the adsorption behavior of 13 organic compounds onto polyethylene and chlorinated polyethylene microplastics under freshwater conditions, finding that most chemicals exhibited higher adsorption to chlorinated polyethylene than to standard polyethylene.

2021 Environmental Research 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic–Contaminant Interactions: Influence of Nonlinearity and Coupled Mass Transfer

This study examined how microplastics absorb and release pollutants (specifically phenanthrene, a hydrocarbon) in river and ocean water, finding the relationship is complex and non-linear. Understanding contaminant transport by microplastics is crucial for assessing their risk as carriers of toxic chemicals in aquatic environments.

2019 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the adsorption behavior of benzotriazoles and benzothiazoles on polyvinyl chloride microplastics in the water environment

Researchers systematically investigated the adsorption behavior of benzotriazoles and benzothiazoles on polyvinyl chloride microplastics in aquatic environments, characterizing adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics to explain the underlying mechanisms. The study revealed that PVC microplastics act as carriers for these ubiquitous water contaminants through a multilayer adsorption process, with implications for pollutant migration and ecological risk.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of some hazardous aromatic hydrocarbons by various pristine and heat-activated aged microplastics as potential pollutant carriers in aquatic environment

Researchers examined how pristine and heat-aged microplastics of four polymer types adsorb hazardous aromatic hydrocarbons, finding that aging significantly altered adsorption capacity. The results demonstrate that weathered microplastics may act as more effective pollutant vectors than pristine particles in aquatic environments.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of nonylphenol on coastal saline soil: Will microplastics play a great role?

Researchers examined how polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, and polypropylene microplastics affect the adsorption of the endocrine-disrupting compound nonylphenol onto coastal saline soil, finding that smaller PVC microplastics (0.11 mm) at 10% addition enhanced soil adsorption capacity by 117%, indicating microplastics significantly alter contaminant behavior in coastal soils.

2022 Chemosphere 11 citations
Article Tier 2

New insights into the distribution and interaction mechanism of microplastics with humic acid in river sediments

Researchers found that microplastics and humic acids interact significantly in river sediments, with humic acid coating altering microplastic surface properties and affecting their distribution at different sediment depths, influencing the environmental fate and pollutant-carrying capacity of microplastics.

2022 Chemosphere 25 citations