Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of organic pollutants on microplastics

This review summarizes the main mechanisms by which microplastics adsorb organic pollutants, including hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic forces, and hydrogen bonding. Researchers found that particle size, surface area, aging, and environmental factors like pH and temperature significantly influence how much pollution microplastics can carry. The study highlights the need for more field-based research to understand how microplastics behave as pollutant carriers in real environmental conditions.

2021 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 822 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic properties and their interaction with hydrophobic organic contaminants: a review

This review examines the physical and chemical properties of microplastics that determine how they interact with hydrophobic organic contaminants in the environment. Researchers found that factors like polymer type, particle size, weathering, and surface chemistry all influence how strongly microplastics bind to co-occurring pollutants. The findings suggest that microplastics can serve as carriers for harmful chemicals, potentially increasing exposure risks for organisms that ingest them.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 169 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the adsorption of organic compounds onto microplastics via experimental, simulation, and prediction methods

This review systematically examined experimental, simulation, and predictive modeling approaches for studying the adsorption of organic compounds onto microplastics, synthesizing findings on how molecular interactions, environmental conditions, and plastic aging affect microplastic vector behavior for organic pollutants.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of pharmaceuticals on the surface of microplastics

Researchers tested the ability of four common microplastic types to adsorb nine pharmaceutical compounds frequently found as water pollutants. They found that sorption involved both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, but under natural environmental conditions the binding was relatively weak. The study suggests that while microplastics can interact with pharmaceutical residues, their role as carriers of these contaminants in real aquatic environments may be more limited than previously assumed.

2020 Chemosphere 169 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of representative organic contaminants on microplastics: Effects of chemical physicochemical properties, particle size, and biofilm presence

This study examined how organic pollutants like flame retardants and industrial chemicals attach to microplastics in saltwater conditions. Smaller microplastic particles absorbed more contaminants per unit weight, and natural biofilms growing on the plastic surfaces changed how much pollution they could carry. The findings help explain how microplastics act as carriers of toxic chemicals through the environment and potentially into the food chain.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviour and interaction of organic micropollutants with nano and microplastics – A review

This review analyzed the adsorption behavior of organic micropollutants — including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals — onto nano- and microplastics, finding that adsorption is governed by pollutant hydrophobicity, particle surface area, and aging state, and that microplastics can act as vectors delivering co-contaminants to aquatic organisms.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 216 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption Behavior of Microplastics as a Carrier of Various Contaminants and Their Ecotoxicity in Aquatic Environment

This review examines how microplastics in aquatic environments act as "Trojan horse" carriers, adsorbing other pollutants (heavy metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals) onto their surfaces through hydrophobic, electrostatic, and hydrogen-bond interactions. Co-exposure of microplastics plus adsorbed contaminants has been shown to amplify oxidative stress, reduce reproduction rates, and impair photosynthesis in aquatic organisms — suggesting the combined risk of microplastics plus hitchhiking chemicals is greater than either alone.

2023 Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors for environmental contaminants: Exploring sorption, desorption, and transfer to biota

This review explores how microplastics interact with hydrophobic organic chemicals in aquatic environments, examining the processes of chemical sorption onto and desorption from plastic particles. Researchers discuss the factors that influence whether microplastics act as significant carriers of environmental contaminants into living organisms compared to natural pathways. Understanding these processes is essential for accurately assessing the real-world risk that microplastics pose as chemical transport vehicles.

2017 Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 632 citations
Article Tier 2

Strong influence of surfactants on virgin hydrophobic microplastics adsorbing ionic organic pollutants

Researchers found that surfactants cause hydrophobic microplastics to adsorb ionic organic pollutants at much higher rates than previously recognized, revealing that the typical assumption of minimal interaction between hydrophobic plastics and hydrophilic contaminants underestimates real-world pollutant uptake. The findings indicate that surfactant ubiquity in environmental waters substantially alters microplastic pollutant-carrying capacity.

2020 Environmental Pollution 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Macroscopic and microscopic investigation of adsorption mechanisms of phenanthrene and its derivatives on polyacrylonitrile microplastics

This study investigated how polyacrylonitrile (PAN) microplastics adsorb phenanthrene and four of its chemical derivatives from water, finding that the type of functional group on the pollutant strongly controls how much and how fast it sticks to the plastic. Substituted forms with nitro or chlorine groups adsorbed more strongly than plain phenanthrene. This matters because microplastics can act as carriers of toxic organic pollutants in the environment, and understanding which pollutants bind most readily helps predict contamination risks in aquatic ecosystems.

2026 Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy
Article Tier 2

Sorption of pesticides onto polyethylene microplastics in different aqueous matrices

This thesis examined how pesticides adsorb onto polyethylene microplastics in different aqueous matrices, finding that water chemistry significantly affects the binding behavior and potential for microplastics to carry agricultural chemicals.

2023 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Developing Predictive Models for Carrying Ability of Micro-Plastics towards Organic Pollutants

Researchers developed predictive models for microplastic adsorption of organic pollutants, using quantitative structure-activity relationships to estimate how different polymer types and pollutant properties influence sorption capacity.

2019 Molecules 43 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of humic substances’ hydrophobicity in heterogeneous adsorption onto microplastics: Insights from two-dimensional correlation hydrophilic interaction chromatography

Researchers investigated how the hydrophobic properties of humic substances influence their adsorption onto pristine and aged polyethylene microplastics. Using chromatography techniques, they found that more hydrophobic humic molecules preferentially adsorb onto microplastics, with this trend being stronger for aged plastics and under acidic conditions. The study highlights the critical role of hydrophobicity in determining how natural organic matter interacts with microplastics in aquatic environments.

2025 Environmental Technology & Innovation 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of organic compounds by microplastic

This German thesis studied how common microplastic polymers like polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyamide sorb and accumulate hydrophobic organic contaminants, investigating the mechanisms that make plastics effective carriers of pollutants. Understanding sorption behavior is key to assessing how microplastics transport toxic chemicals into marine food webs.

2016 University of Vienna
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as a vector of hydrophobic contaminants: Importance of hydrophobic additives

This paper examines the role of hydrophobicity in determining whether organic pollutants sorbed to microplastics pose a meaningful additional risk beyond direct water exposure. The authors argue that for most scenarios, the contribution of microplastics to total pollutant exposure is smaller than commonly assumed and depends heavily on the properties of the specific chemical and polymer.

2017 Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 211 citations
Article Tier 2

Partitioning of chemical contaminants to microplastics: Sorption mechanisms, environmental distribution and effects on toxicity and bioaccumulation

This review critically examines how chemical contaminants like persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals sorb onto microplastic surfaces in the environment. Researchers found that while microplastics can concentrate pollutants at levels far above surrounding water, the actual contribution of microplastics to contaminant transfer into organisms may be less significant than direct exposure from water and food. The study calls for more realistic experimental designs to clarify the true risk.

2019 Environmental Pollution 487 citations
Article Tier 2

The interaction mechanism of polystyrene microplastics with pharmaceuticals and personal care products

Computational chemistry methods including force field and density functional theory calculations were used to characterize how polystyrene microplastics interact with co-occurring pharmaceuticals and other organic water pollutants, revealing hydrophobic and pi-pi stacking interactions as dominant adsorption mechanisms. The modeling provides mechanistic insight into microplastics' role as vectors for organic contaminant transport in aquatic environments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between microplastics and organic compounds in aquatic environments: A mini review

Researchers reviewed the mechanisms of interaction between microplastics and organic compounds in aquatic environments, examining factors related to the plastics themselves, the organic compounds, and environmental conditions. The study found that properties like crystallinity, surface area, and weathering state of microplastics all influence how they adsorb and transport organic pollutants, with implications for environmental and health risk assessments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 290 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of neutral organic compounds on polar and nonpolar microplastics: Prediction and insight into mechanisms based on pp-LFERs

Researchers measured adsorption of 18 neutral organic compounds on polar and nonpolar microplastics and found that polar microplastics such as polybutylene succinate and polycaprolactone showed greater adsorption capacity than nonpolar types, with hydrophobic partitioning dominating on all plastics and polar interactions providing additional uptake on polar polymers.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption Behavior and Mechanisms of Organic Contaminants to Nano and Microplastics

This review summarizes the sorption mechanisms by which organic contaminants bind to nano and microplastics, including partitioning, surface sorption via hydrogen bonding and pi-pi interactions, and pore filling. Solution chemistry factors like pH, ionic strength, and dissolved organic matter all influence how strongly contaminants adsorb to plastic surfaces.

2020 Molecules 252 citations
Review Tier 2

Physisorption and Chemisorption Mechanisms Influencing Micro (Nano) Plastics-Organic Chemical Contaminants Interactions: A Review

This review explains the chemical and physical mechanisms by which microplastics attract and carry organic pollutants like pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals in the environment. The ability of microplastics to absorb these contaminants depends on factors like plastic type, particle size, weathering, and water conditions. Understanding these interactions is critical because when contaminated microplastics are ingested by organisms or humans, the absorbed chemicals can be released inside the body.

2021 Frontiers in Environmental Science 295 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of organic pollutants and metals on micro/nanoplastics in the aquatic environment

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments adsorb organic pollutants and metals onto their surfaces, effectively acting as carriers for other contaminants. Researchers found that environmental factors like pH, salinity, and aging of the plastic significantly influence this sorption behavior. The findings raise concerns that microplastics may increase the bioavailability and toxicity of chemical pollutants in waterways.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 685 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior and interaction mechanism of microplastics with typical hydrophilic pharmaceuticals and personal care products

This study examined how different types of microplastics adsorb hydrophilic pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic environments, finding that polymer type and surface properties governed the interaction mechanisms. The results indicate that microplastics can act as vectors for these emerging contaminants.

2023 Environmental Research 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of PFAS onto secondary microplastics: A mechanistic study

Researchers investigated how PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) adsorb onto secondary microplastics under different water chemistry conditions. Results showed that PFAS adsorption depended on both the chemical structure of the PFAS compound and the ionic composition of the water. These findings help explain how microplastics in real-world aquatic environments can concentrate and transport PFAS, a group of persistent health-relevant pollutants.

2023 2 citations