Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of heavy metals on the adsorption of ciprofloxacin on polyethylene microplastics: Mechanism and toxicity evaluation

Researchers studied how heavy metals in water affect the ability of polyethylene microplastics to absorb the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. They found that heavy metals competed with the antibiotic for binding sites on the microplastic surface, changing how much of each pollutant the plastic could carry. This is important because it shows microplastics in real-world environments may transport different combinations of pollutants, potentially delivering both antibiotics and heavy metals into the food chain.

2023 Chemosphere 83 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of Cu(II) and Cr(VI) on aged microplastics in antibiotics-heavy metals coexisting system

Researchers investigated how antibiotics affect the adsorption of copper and chromium onto aged polystyrene and PVC microplastics, finding that antibiotic co-contamination alters heavy metal binding behavior on weathered plastics in aqueous environments.

2021 Chemosphere 169 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of the antibiotic levofloxacin on microplastics in the presence of different heavy metals in an aqueous solution

Researchers studied how the antibiotic levofloxacin sticks to PVC microplastics in water and how the presence of heavy metals affects this process. They found that certain metals like copper, zinc, and chromium increased the amount of antibiotic absorbed by the plastic, while cadmium and lead reduced it. The findings reveal that microplastics can act as carriers for both antibiotics and metals in polluted water, potentially creating complex contamination scenarios.

2020 Chemosphere 305 citations
Article Tier 2

Interfacial interaction between diverse microplastics and tetracycline by adsorption in an aqueous solution

Polyethylene microplastics showed the strongest adsorption of the antibiotic tetracycline among three plastic types tested, and the presence of metals like lead and zinc enhanced tetracycline adsorption while copper reduced it. Ion exchange was identified as the primary adsorption mechanism, suggesting that microplastics in aquaculture settings could concentrate antibiotics and increase their environmental persistence.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 196 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics accumulation and antibiotics contamination in anaerobic membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment

This study found that when aged PVC microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin are both present in wastewater treatment systems, they interact to make each other's harmful effects worse. The combination cut treatment efficiency in half and disrupted the microbes needed for wastewater processing, raising concerns about how microplastic pollution could undermine water treatment that protects public health.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 17 citations
Article Tier 2

The fate and risk of microplastic and antibiotic sulfamethoxazole coexisting in the environment

Researchers investigated sulfamethoxazole antibiotic adsorption onto polyamide microplastics and found that pH significantly influenced uptake, with adsorbed antibiotics more readily released in natural water than ultrapure water, posing environmental risks.

2022 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 29 citations
Article Tier 2

[Characteristics of Microplastic-derived Dissolved Organic Matter(MPDOM) and the Complexation Between MPDOM and Sulfadiazine/Cu2].

This study examined dissolved organic matter released from aging PET and polystyrene microplastics and found that it can bind to both sulfadiazine (an antibiotic) and copper ions, potentially altering how these contaminants move through the environment. Aging microplastics release chemical compounds that interact with other pollutants, complicating the environmental behavior of both plastic and non-plastic contaminants in water and soil.

2023 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Microplastics enhance the adsorption capacity of zinc oxide nanoparticles: Interactive mechanisms and influence factors

Researchers found that the presence of microplastics enhances the ability of zinc oxide nanoparticles to adsorb antibiotics from water, with aged microplastics showing different effects than virgin ones. The interactions between microplastics and nanoparticles were driven primarily by electrostatic forces, and factors like pH and humic acid further influenced adsorption rates. The study warns that microplastics may help spread antibiotic contamination more widely through aquatic environments.

2023 Journal of Environmental Sciences 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Heavy metal-mediated adsorption of antibiotic tetracycline and ciprofloxacin on two microplastics: Insights into the role of complexation

This study investigated how heavy metals copper and cadmium affect the adsorption of antibiotics tetracycline and ciprofloxacin onto polyamide and polyvinyl chloride microplastics. Heavy metals enhanced antibiotic adsorption through surface complexation, with copper promoting stronger binding than cadmium due to its greater complexation ability.

2022 Environmental Research 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Salinity, pH, and Cu(II) on the Adsorption Behaviors of Tetracycline onto Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics: A Site Energy Distribution Analysis

PVC microplastic adsorption of tetracycline antibiotic decreased with increasing salinity and pH, while coexisting Cu2+ ions enhanced adsorption through bridging interactions, providing insights into how environmental factors affect antibiotic-microplastic interactions in aquatic systems.

2023 Water 23 citations
Article Tier 2

The occurrence of microplastic in specific organs in commercially caught fishes from coast and estuary area of east China

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics interact with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in aquatic environments and found that the plastic particles can absorb and concentrate the drug on their surface. The adsorption capacity increased with weathering of the plastic, suggesting that aged microplastics in the environment are more effective carriers of pharmaceutical pollutants. The findings raise concerns that microplastics could transport antibiotics through water systems, potentially contributing to antimicrobial resistance.

2018 Journal of Hazardous Materials 453 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined pollution of tetracyclines and microplastics in the aquatic environment: Insights into the occurrence, interaction mechanisms and effects

This review examines how microplastics and tetracycline antibiotics interact in water environments, since microplastics can absorb and carry antibiotics on their surfaces. Factors like pH, heavy metals, and organic matter in water influence how tightly antibiotics bind to microplastics, and the combined pollution is more harmful to aquatic life than either pollutant alone. This is relevant to human health because these microplastic-antibiotic combinations can enter drinking water supplies and promote antibiotic resistance.

2024 Environmental Research 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of polyethylene and polyurethane microplastics and their adsorption behavior on Cu2+ and Fe3+ in environmental matrices

Researchers characterized polyethylene and polyurethane microplastics and measured their ability to adsorb heavy metals, finding that both types can bind copper and iron ions from water — raising concern that microplastics may act as carriers that transport toxic metals deeper into aquatic ecosystems and food chains.

2025 Environmental Sciences Europe 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyvinylchloride microplastics on the toxicity of nanoparticles and antibiotics to aerobic granular sludge: Nitrogen removal, microbial community and resistance genes

Researchers examined how PVC microplastics affect wastewater treatment systems that also contain copper oxide nanoparticles and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. They found that low concentrations of microplastics actually reduced some toxic effects of the other pollutants, but higher concentrations worsened nitrogen removal efficiency and increased antibiotic resistance genes. The study highlights the complex ways microplastics can alter the behavior of other contaminants in water treatment.

2023 Environmental Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions of microplastics with heavy metals in the aquatic environment: Mechanisms and mitigation

This review synthesized mechanisms of heavy metal adsorption onto microplastics in aquatic environments and evaluated strategies for removing both contaminants simultaneously. The authors found that temperature, salinity, and plastic surface aging govern metal binding, and identified hybrid adsorbent materials as the most promising approach for co-removal of metals and microplastics from water.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
Article Tier 2

Adsorption interactions between typical microplastics and enrofloxacin: Relevant contributions to the mechanism

This study investigated how common microplastics (polyethylene, PVC, and polystyrene) absorb the antibiotic enrofloxacin from the environment. The researchers found that microplastics can effectively bind antibiotics through multiple chemical mechanisms, with the strength of binding depending on water conditions like acidity. This is concerning because microplastics carrying antibiotics could transport them into the food chain, potentially contributing to antibiotic resistance and affecting human health.

2024 Chemosphere 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of microplastic contamination by metals in a controlled environment: A risk to be considered

Researchers found that polyethylene terephthalate microplastics readily adsorb nickel, copper, and zinc metals in aquatic environments, demonstrating that degraded plastics can act as carriers for metal contaminants and pose compounded environmental risks.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of As(III) by microplastics coexisting with antibiotics

This study examined how microplastics absorb arsenic, a toxic metal, from water, especially when antibiotics are also present. Smaller and more aged microplastic particles absorbed more arsenic, and environmental factors like pH and dissolved organic matter significantly changed absorption rates. This is relevant to human health because microplastics in contaminated water can concentrate toxic metals like arsenic on their surface and potentially carry them into drinking water or the food chain.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of selected pharmaceutical compounds on polyethylene microplastics: Roles of pH, aging, and competitive sorption

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics adsorb pharmaceutical compounds including an antibiotic, a beta-blocker, and an antidepressant, with sorption capacity influenced by pH, aging of the plastic, and competition between compounds — raising concern about microplastics as carriers of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments.

2022 Chemosphere 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption and desorption mechanisms of oxytetracycline on poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) microplastics after degradation: The effects of biofilms, Cu(II), water pH, and dissolved organic matter

Researchers found that biodegradation significantly increases the ability of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic oxytetracycline, and that the presence of copper ions further amplifies this adsorption, raising concerns about how degrading biodegradable plastics transport pharmaceutical contaminants.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of cadmium on the sorption of tylosin by polystyrene microplastics

Researchers found that cadmium ions significantly influence the sorption of the antibiotic tylosin onto polystyrene microplastics, with competitive and cooperative interactions depending on concentration ratios, highlighting that co-contamination with heavy metals alters microplastic-mediated antibiotic transport in aquatic environments.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Preparation of a series of highly efficient porous adsorbent PGMA- N and its application in the co-removal of Cu(II) and sulfamethoxazole from water

Researchers synthesized a series of porous polymer adsorbents and tested their ability to simultaneously remove copper ions and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole from water. Multi-contaminant removal materials address the reality that microplastic-contaminated water often contains heavy metals and pharmaceuticals as co-pollutants.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the Co-Adsorption Mechanisms of Sulfonamide Antibiotics and Cu 2+ on Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Joint Effects and Molecular-Level Insights from Experiments and DFT Calculation

Researchers investigated the co-adsorption behavior of ten sulfonamide antibiotics and copper ions (Cu2+) on polyamide microplastics in aquatic environments, finding synergistic effects for sulfonamides and antagonistic effects for Cu2+ adsorption. Molecular-level DFT calculations revealed the mechanisms underlying these interactions, with implications for the combined transport of antibiotics and heavy metals in microplastic-contaminated water.

2025 ACS ES&T Water
Article Tier 2

Interactions and associated resistance development mechanisms between microplastics, antibiotics and heavy metals in the aquaculture environment

This review explores how microplastics, antibiotics, and heavy metals interact in aquaculture environments to promote antibiotic resistance. Researchers found that microplastics can serve as carriers for both antibiotics and metals, creating hotspots where bacteria are more likely to develop resistance genes. The study underscores the compounding ecological and human health risks when these three types of pollutants co-exist in fish farming settings.

2021 Reviews in Aquaculture 108 citations