Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Enhanced copper adsorption by polyamide and polylactic acid microplastics: The role of biofilm development and chemical aging

Researchers studied how chemical aging and biofilm growth on polyamide and polylactic acid microplastics changed their ability to absorb copper from water. Both processes significantly increased the surface area and chemical reactivity of the plastics, making them absorb substantially more copper than fresh microplastics. The study suggests that as microplastics age and develop biofilms in natural waterways, they become increasingly effective at concentrating heavy metals, potentially altering how these contaminants move through aquatic environments.

2025 Environmental Research 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into adsorption behavior and mechanism of Cu(II) onto biodegradable and conventional microplastics: Effect of aging process and environmental factors

Researchers compared how biodegradable and conventional microplastics adsorb copper ions from water, examining how aging processes and environmental factors influence this interaction. The study found that aged microplastics had a greater capacity to bind copper than fresh ones, suggesting that weathered plastic debris in the environment may serve as carriers for heavy metal contaminants.

2023 Environmental Pollution 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm enhances the copper (II) adsorption on microplastic surfaces in coastal seawater: Simultaneous evidence from visualization and quantification

Researchers found that biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces significantly enhanced copper adsorption in coastal seawater, with visual and quantitative evidence showing that biofilm-coated microplastics accumulate substantially more copper than uncoated particles, increasing their potential as vectors for metal contaminant transport.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of biofilm on metal adsorption behavior and microbial community of microplastics

Researchers found that biofilm development on polystyrene microplastics enhanced their ability to adsorb copper and lead more than UV aging alone, with biofilm altering both the adsorption mechanisms and microbial community composition on the plastic surfaces.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 125 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption properties and mechanism of Cu(II) on virgin and aged microplastics in the aquatic environment

Researchers examined how UV aging changes the surface properties of polyamide and polylactic acid microplastics and affects their ability to adsorb copper ions in water. The study found that UV irradiation altered the physical and chemical characteristics of both plastic types, increasing their capacity to bind heavy metals. Evidence indicates that weathered microplastics may act as more effective carriers of heavy metal contaminants in aquatic environments compared to virgin plastics.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption properties and mechanism of Cu(Ⅱ) on virgin and aged microplastics in the aquatic environment

This study examined how UV aging of polyamide (PA) and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics affects their ability to adsorb copper (Cu II) from water. UV aging increased surface area and altered surface chemistry, making aged microplastics better carriers of copper contamination — raising concerns that weathered plastics in the environment may concentrate and transport heavy metals more effectively than fresh plastics.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of heavy metals by biofilm-coated microplastics in aquatic environments: Mechanisms, isotherm and kinetic processes, and influencing factors

This review synthesizes research on how biofilms—microbial coatings that naturally form on microplastics in water—alter the particles' ability to absorb heavy metals like lead, copper, and cadmium, finding that biofilmed microplastics generally adsorb more metal than bare plastic and that electrostatic forces and surface complexation are the dominant mechanisms. This matters because microplastics coated in both biofilm and toxic metals may deliver a double dose of contamination to organisms that ingest them. The review identifies key gaps, including how competitive metal mixtures and shifting biofilm composition over time affect this combined pollution risk.

2026 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of commercial biodegradable plastics towards pollutants during the biodegradation process: Taking starch-based biodegradable microplastics, oxytetracycline and Cu (II) as examples

This study found that microbial colonization on biodegradable starch-based microplastics (PBAT/PLA/TPS blend) actually increases their ability to adsorb the heavy metal copper and the antibiotic oxytetracycline, while further biodegradation reduces that capacity. When both pollutants are present together, however, even partially degraded microplastics can still carry significantly elevated contaminant loads. This reveals that biodegradable plastics are not risk-free — their breakdown in the environment changes, but does not eliminate, their role in transporting harmful chemicals.

2024 Environmental Pollution 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm facilitates metal accumulation onto microplastics in estuarine waters

This study demonstrated that biofilm colonization on microplastics in estuarine waters significantly enhanced their sorption of metals such as copper and zinc, suggesting biofouling changes the contaminant-carrying capacity of plastic debris.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 241 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of Cu(II) on UV-aged polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene microplastics in aqueous solution

Researchers studied how UV aging changes the ability of PET and polypropylene microplastics to adsorb copper ions from water. UV exposure altered the surface properties of both plastics, increasing their capacity to bind heavy metals compared to pristine particles. The findings suggest that weathered microplastics in the environment may be more effective at concentrating toxic metals, potentially increasing ecological risks in contaminated waterways.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Natural aging and Cu(II) coexistence synergistically promote nonylphenol adsorption by degradable PLA microplastics in aquatic environments

Researchers studied how natural aging and copper ions interact to increase adsorption of the endocrine disruptor nonylphenol onto biodegradable PLA microplastics. Aging alone boosted adsorption capacity by 41.4%, while the presence of Cu(II) increased it by 86.6%, with the two factors acting synergistically.

2025 Colloids and Surfaces A Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Seawater copper content controls biofilm bioaccumulation and microbial community on microplastics

Researchers found that seawater copper concentration controls both the microbial community composition of biofilms on microplastics and the amount of copper bioaccumulated in those biofilms, demonstrating that metal pollution levels in seawater influence the ecological and chemical behavior of the 'plastisphere'.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of copper by naturally and artificially aged polystyrene microplastics and subsequent release in simulated gastrointestinal fluid

Researchers compared how naturally and artificially aged polystyrene microplastics adsorb copper and then release it in simulated digestive fluids. They found that naturally aged microplastics from a lake adsorbed the most copper, largely due to metallic oxide deposits on their surfaces. The study suggests that aged microplastics may act as vectors for transporting metals into organisms through ingestion, with the aging method significantly affecting how much metal is carried and released.

2024 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 16 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 heavy metals onto microplastics derived from conventional and biodegradable commercial plastic products

Researchers tested how well different types of microplastics, including both conventional and biodegradable plastics, absorb heavy metals like lead, nickel, copper, zinc, and cadmium from water. They found that all microplastic types could pick up significant amounts of heavy metals, with biodegradable plastics sometimes absorbing even more than conventional ones. This is concerning because microplastics carrying heavy metals could deliver a double dose of contamination to organisms that ingest them.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of biofilm colonization on Pb(II) adsorption onto poly(butylene succinate) microplastic during its biodegradation

Researchers found that biofilm colonization on biodegradable PBS microplastics during degradation increased lead adsorption roughly tenfold compared to virgin plastic, suggesting that degrading biodegradable plastics may concentrate heavy metals more effectively in aquatic environments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 83 citations
Review Tier 2

Research progress on the role of biofilm in heavy metals adsorption-desorption characteristics of microplastics: A review

This review examines how biofilm formation on microplastics in aquatic environments modifies their properties and changes how they adsorb and release heavy metals. Researchers found that biofilm-covered microplastics behave significantly differently than bare microplastics, which has important implications for understanding the combined environmental risks of microplastics and heavy metal contamination.

2023 Environmental Pollution 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Increased Cu(II) Adsorption Onto UV-Aged Polyethylene, Polypropylene, and Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastic Particles in Seawater

Researchers found that UV aging significantly increased copper(II) adsorption onto polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics in seawater by up to 2.92 times after 12 months, with oxidation-induced surface changes and smaller particle sizes amplifying this effect for PP and PET.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 35 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

Adsorption properties and influencing factors of Cu(II) on polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics in seawater

Researchers investigated how polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics adsorb copper ions in seawater, characterizing adsorption kinetics and influencing factors to understand microplastics' role as vectors for heavy metal pollutants in marine environments.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 126 citations