Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Enhanced immobilization of trace nickel by nanoplastic-Fe-Mn oxide complexes in sedimentary systems

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics act as nucleation sites for iron-manganese oxide mineral growth in marine sediments, producing smaller particles with greater surface area that adsorb trace nickel far more efficiently than oxides formed without plastic present.

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

Crystallinity- dependent heteroaggregation and co-sedimentation between polystyrene nanoplastics and iron (hydro)oxides

Researchers found that the crystallinity of iron (hydro)oxide minerals strongly governs their tendency to aggregate with polystyrene nanoplastics in water — higher crystallinity produces more positive surface charges, stronger electrostatic attraction, and greater hydrogen bonding with nanoplastics, ultimately controlling how and where these combined particles settle in aquatic environments.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

Burial of microplastics in freshwater sediments facilitated by iron-organo flocs

Researchers found that iron-organo flocs in freshwater sediments facilitate the burial and long-term sequestration of microplastics by aggregating plastic particles with organic matter and iron minerals, identifying this aggregation mechanism as an important pathway controlling microplastic fate in lake sediments.

2021 Scientific Reports 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Charge mediated interaction of polystyrene nanoplastic (PSNP) with minerals in aqueous phase

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with common soil and sediment minerals, finding that positively charged iron oxide minerals (goethite and magnetite) strongly adsorb nanoplastics via electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding, while negatively charged clay minerals do not — providing mechanistic insight into how nanoplastics may accumulate in iron-rich soils and sediments.

2020 Water Research 177 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular Insights into the Synergistic Inhibition of Microplastics-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter and Anions on the Transformation of Ferrihydrite

Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released from microplastics combines with naturally occurring ions to affect iron mineral transformations in the environment. They found that microplastic-derived organic matter and ions like phosphate work together to strongly inhibit the conversion of a reactive iron mineral called ferrihydrite. The findings matter because these iron minerals play key roles in nutrient cycling and pollutant fate in soils and waterways.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative effects of crystalline, poorly crystalline and freshly formed iron oxides on the colloidal properties of polystyrene microplastics

Researchers found that freshly formed iron oxides caused the greatest aggregation of polystyrene microplastics in water, with effects decreasing in the order: freshly formed iron oxide > ferrihydrite > goethite > haematite. The findings suggest that iron oxide copresence can delay microplastic transport or alter their environmental fate depending on pH and crystallinity of the mineral.

2022 Environmental Pollution 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Heteroaggregation of PS microplastic with ferrihydrite leads to rapid removal of microplastic particles from the water column

Researchers found that ferrihydrite, a natural iron mineral, rapidly removes polystyrene microplastics from the water column through heteroaggregation and enhanced sedimentation, suggesting natural mineral interactions may help sequester microplastics in aquatic environments.

2022 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of iron/aluminum (hydr)oxide and clay minerals on heteroaggregation and transport of nanoplastics in aquatic environment

Researchers examined how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with nine different minerals in aquatic environments, finding that positively charged iron and aluminum (hydr)oxide minerals readily form aggregates with nanoplastics through electrostatic and hydrophobic forces, while humic acid and shifting pH significantly suppress this aggregation.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Heteroaggregation of PS microplastic with ferrihydrite leads to rapid removal of microplastic particles from the water column

Researchers investigated heteroaggregation between polystyrene microplastics and ferrihydrite iron mineral particles, finding that this aggregation process leads to rapid removal of microplastic particles from the water column, with implications for understanding microplastic fate and transport in natural water systems.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Impactof Minerals(Ferrihydrite and Goethite) andTheir Organo-Mineral Complexes on Fate and Transport of Nanoplasticsin the Riverine and Terrestrial Environments

Researchers investigated how iron minerals ferrihydrite and goethite, along with their organo-mineral complexes, influence the mobility and transport of nanoplastics in riverine and terrestrial environments, finding that organic matter coatings substantially alter nanoplastic behavior compared to pure mineral phases.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Insight into interactions of polystyrene microplastics with different types and compositions of dissolved organic matter

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics interact with different types of dissolved organic matter, finding that fulvic acid and humic acid adsorb onto microplastics through distinct mechanisms, which influences microplastic transport and transformation in the environment.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Both nanoplastic and iron mineral types determine their heteroaggregation: Aggregation kinetics and interface process

Researchers measured how four types of nanoplastics aggregate with iron minerals and found that surface chemistry drives the outcome — with PMMA forming the strongest heteroaggregates and carboxyl-modified particles the weakest — and that electron transfer from nanoplastics to hematite partially reduces iron, with implications for aquatic iron cycling.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Minerals (Ferrihydrite and Goethite) and Their Organo-Mineral Complexes on Fate and Transport of Nanoplastics in the Riverine and Terrestrial Environments

Researchers studied how common iron minerals and their organic matter complexes affect the movement and fate of nanoplastics in river and soil environments. The study found that pure minerals had higher sorption capacity for nanoplastics than their organo-mineral counterparts, and goethite-based systems caused greater aggregation and retention of nanoplastics, suggesting that soil mineral composition plays an important role in nanoplastic transport.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of magnetite and its weathering originated maghemite and hematite minerals on sedimentation and transport of nanoplastics in the aqueous and subsurface environments

Researchers compared how three iron oxide minerals — magnetite, maghemite, and hematite — affect nanoplastic sorption and transport in aqueous and subsurface environments, finding that magnetite's smaller size, positive surface charge, and higher surface hydroxyl density make it the most effective at capturing nanoplastics and limiting their mobility in river water-saturated sand columns.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Effective removal of Micro- and nanoplastics from water using Iron oxide nanoparticles: Mechanisms and optimization

Researchers developed a magnetic separation method using iron oxide nanoparticles to remove micro- and nanoplastics from water, achieving up to 95% removal efficiency within just 20 minutes. The technique works through hydrophobic interactions between the iron oxide particles and plastic surfaces, and was particularly effective for smaller nanoplastics. The method offers a relatively simple, rapid, and cost-effective approach to filtering plastic particles from contaminated water.

2025 Chemical Engineering Journal 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between Iron Minerals and Dissolved Organic Matter Derived from Microplastics Inhibited the Ferrihydrite Transformation as Revealed at the Molecular Scale

Researchers studied how dissolved organic matter released from degrading microplastics interacts with iron minerals in the environment. They found that this microplastic-derived organic matter inhibited the natural transformation of ferrihydrite, an important iron mineral in soil and water systems. The study reveals that microplastic breakdown products can alter fundamental geochemical processes, potentially affecting nutrient cycling and pollutant behavior.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of photoaging and natural organic matter on the colloidal stability of nanoplastics in aquatic environments

Researchers found that photoaging of polystyrene nanoplastics alters how natural organic matter interacts with their surfaces — reducing humic acid adsorption while increasing protein adsorption — with downstream effects on the nanoplastics' stability and transport in aquatic environments.

2022 Water Research 38 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of nanoplastics on marine dissolved organic matter assembly

Researchers found that even trace concentrations of nanoplastics (10 ppb) significantly accelerate the spontaneous assembly of dissolved organic matter into particles in seawater, driven by hydrophobic interactions — a finding that could have far-reaching consequences for the ocean's largest carbon pool.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 74 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics removal from aqueous solutions by magnetic iron nanoparticles

Researchers tested magnetic iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles for removing polystyrene microplastics from water, systematically optimizing concentration, dosage, contact time, and pH, and found effective microplastic removal through adsorption interactions that could be leveraged for environmental remediation.

2025
Article Tier 2

Adsorptive removal of micron-sized polystyrene particles using magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

Researchers demonstrated that magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can effectively adsorb and remove micron-sized polystyrene microplastics from water, offering a magnetically recoverable approach to microplastic remediation.

2022 Chemosphere 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal and Degradation of Microplastics Using the Magnetic and Nanozyme Activities of Bare Iron Oxide Nanoaggregates

Researchers developed bare iron oxide nanoaggregates that both remove and catalytically degrade common microplastics with nearly 100% efficiency, achieving full extraction at just 1% of the microplastic mass through combined magnetic and nanozyme activities.

2022 Angewandte Chemie International Edition 134 citations
Article Tier 2

How Heavy Metals Influence Microplastic Degradation: UV Absorption and Photoreactivity of Ps-fe₃o₄ Composites

Researchers examined how heavy metals, specifically iron oxide (Fe3O4), influence the UV absorption and photoreactivity of polystyrene microplastics when forming PS-Fe3O4 composite particles. The study found that iron oxide incorporation altered the photodegradation behavior of polystyrene microplastics, with implications for understanding microplastic weathering and associated pollutant release in natural environments.

2025 International Journal of Advanced Research
Article Tier 2

UV-weathering affects heteroaggregation and subsequent sedimentation of polystyrene microplastic particles with ferrihydrite

UV weathering of polystyrene microplastics significantly altered their surface properties, increasing heteroaggregation with ferrihydrite iron colloids and accelerating particle sedimentation compared to pristine PS—demonstrating that environmental weathering substantially changes microplastic fate and removal in aquatic systems.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of inorganic ions and natural organic matter on the aggregation of nanoplastics

Researchers investigated how inorganic ions and natural organic matter (NOM) influence the aggregation of polystyrene nanoplastics, finding that iron ions uniquely promote aggregation while NOM can either suppress or enhance clumping depending on iron concentration, with electrostatic forces and surface chemistry governing overall particle stability.

2018 Chemosphere 245 citations