Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Peroxymonosulfate activation by microplastics coagulated sludge-derived iron-carbon composite for effective degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride: Performance and mechanism

This study used a one-step pyrolysis method to convert microplastic-containing coagulated sewage sludge into an iron-carbon composite, which was then used to activate peroxymonosulfate for degrading tetracycline hydrochloride. The approach simultaneously addressed microplastic waste disposal and antibiotic contamination removal.

2023 Chemical Engineering Journal 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics on tertiary/quaternary treatment of urban wastewater: Fe-biochar/peroxymonosulfate/sunlight vs solar photo-Fenton

Researchers evaluated how microplastics present in secondary-treated urban wastewater affect the degradation of four pharmaceutical micropollutants and the inactivation of antibiotic-resistant E. coli using two advanced oxidation processes. Microplastics were found to influence the performance of both iron-modified biochar/peroxymonosulfate and solar photo-Fenton treatments.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms of microorganisms and environmentally persistent free radicals in biochar/PMS degradation of antibiotics after the aging process of fermentation

Researchers studied how microbial aging of biochar via anaerobic fermentation affects the degradation of antibiotics using biochar/peroxymonosulfate systems, finding that microplastic-aged biochar altered the formation of persistent free radicals and reduced antibiotic removal efficiency.

2025 Environmental Technology
Article Tier 2

Synthesis of invasive plant biochar catalyst with carbon nitride structure for peroxymonosulfate activation toward efficient ciprofloxacin degradation

Researchers created a new material from an invasive plant that, when combined with cobalt, could break down the common antibiotic ciprofloxacin in water within just 10 minutes with 98% efficiency across four reuse cycles. This "treat waste with waste" approach offers a promising low-cost tool for removing pharmaceutical pollutants from water supplies.

2024 Biochar 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microporous carbon derived from waste plastics for efficient adsorption of tetracycline: Adsorption mechanism and application potentials

Scientists converted waste PET plastic bottles into a porous carbon material that can remove 100% of the antibiotic tetracycline from water. The material worked effectively across a wide range of water conditions and could be reused multiple times. This approach offers a double benefit: it repurposes plastic waste that would otherwise become microplastic pollution while also cleaning antibiotics from water, addressing two environmental threats at once.

2025 Environmental Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Z-Type Heterojunction MnO2@g-C3N4 Photocatalyst-Activated Peroxymonosulfate for the Removal of Tetracycline Hydrochloride in Water

Researchers developed an advanced photocatalyst that degrades nearly 97% of tetracycline, a common antibiotic pollutant, in water within 180 minutes using light-activated chemical reactions. The system showed good stability for reuse and reduced the toxicity of breakdown products. While focused on antibiotic removal rather than microplastics, this water treatment technology is relevant because microplastics often carry adsorbed antibiotics, and removing both contaminants is important for safe drinking water.

2024 Toxics 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Activation of peroxymonosulfate by(sunlight)FeCl3-modified biochar for efficient degradation of contaminants of emerging concern: Comparison with H2O2 and effect of microplastics

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect the ability of iron-modified biochar to break down emerging contaminants in wastewater when activated by peroxymonosulfate and sunlight. Surprisingly, they found that the presence of microplastics actually enhanced the treatment efficiency by up to 42%. The study demonstrates that the coexistence of microplastics and biochar in wastewater can influence the effectiveness of advanced oxidation treatment processes.

2025 Chemical Engineering Journal 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced the interaction of biodegradable microplastics with tetracycline by persulfate oxidation process

Researchers studied how persulfate-based oxidation processes affect the adsorption of tetracycline onto biodegradable microplastics, finding that oxidative treatment altered the surface chemistry of the plastics and significantly enhanced their ability to bind this common antibiotic.

2025 Environmental Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Antibiotics by Biochars: A Critical Review

This review analyzes how biochars, which are carbon-rich materials made from organic waste, can remove antibiotics from water. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because both antibiotics and microplastics are emerging water contaminants, and microplastics can carry antibiotic residues that promote drug-resistant bacteria. Better water treatment methods that address multiple contaminants could help reduce human exposure to both pollutants.

2023 Applied Sciences 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics and environmentally persistent free radicals on the ability of biochar components to promote degradation of antibiotics by activated peroxymonosulfate

Researchers investigated how microplastics and environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) together influence the activity of soil enzymes, finding that combined exposure produced greater inhibition of dehydrogenase and urease activity than either contaminant alone. The results indicate EPFRs can amplify the toxic effects of microplastics on soil microbial processes.

2024 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm-Colonized versus Virgin Black Microplastics to Accelerate the Photodegradation of Tetracycline in Aquatic Environments: Analysis of Underneath Mechanisms

Researchers found that biofilm-colonized tire wear particles accelerated the photodegradation of tetracycline in aquatic environments compared to virgin particles, revealing how microbial biofilms on microplastics can alter contaminant fate.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient Removal of Tetracycline from Water by One-Step Pyrolytic Porous Biochar Derived from Antibiotic Fermentation Residue

Researchers developed a one-step pyrolytic porous biochar material for efficient tetracycline removal from water, achieving high adsorption capacity and demonstrating the potential of waste-derived biochar as a low-cost water treatment adsorbent.

2024 Nanomaterials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of norfloxacin transformation by horseradish peroxidase and various redox mediated by humic acid and microplastics

Researchers explored how the enzyme horseradish peroxidase combined with natural redox mediators can transform the antibiotic norfloxacin in water, with microplastics and humic acid affecting the process. Certain plant-derived compounds enhanced antibiotic breakdown while microplastics slightly inhibited the reaction. This has implications for removing pharmaceutical pollutants from wastewater.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of aged biochar after microbial fermentation on antibiotics removal: Key roles of microplastics and environmentally persistent free radicals

Researchers prepared biochar from sludge containing varying amounts of polystyrene and tested its ability to remove antibiotics after microbial aging. The study found that while aging reduced biochar's surface area and removal efficiency by 6-14%, increasing the polystyrene content actually improved antibiotic removal due to the positive effects of environmentally persistent free radicals.

2023 Bioresource Technology 27 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of chlorination on the tetracycline sorption behavior of microplastics in aqueous solution

Researchers found that chlorination, a common disinfection step in wastewater treatment, alters the surface chemistry of microplastics and changes their capacity to adsorb tetracycline antibiotics, with chlorinated microplastics showing modified sorption behavior that affects their role as antibiotic carriers.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of sulfamethoxazole using Fe-Mn biochar filtration columns: Influence of co-existing polystyrene microplastics

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics affect the removal of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole using iron-manganese modified biochar filtration columns. They found that the presence of microplastics significantly reduced antibiotic retention due to competitive sorption, with the effect varying depending on water pH. The study highlights that co-occurring microplastics in wastewater can interfere with contaminant removal systems, potentially allowing more antibiotics to pass through treatment processes.

2024 Journal of Cleaner Production 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into enhancing microplastics adsorption of sludge-based biochar by APTES grafting: Combining individual binding and aggregation confinement

Sludge-based biochar was found to enhance the adsorption capacity for microplastics when its surface was optimized through activation treatments, improving removal efficiency in water treatment. The research supports using biochar derived from wastewater byproducts as a circular solution for capturing microplastics.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar produced from the co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and waste tires for cadmium and tetracycline adsorption from water

Researchers developed a biochar from co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and waste tires that effectively adsorbed cadmium and antibiotic (tetracycline) from water. While focused on water treatment, this approach also addresses sewage sludge — which typically contains high microplastic concentrations — as a resource rather than a waste.

2021 Water Science & Technology 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of excess sludge composting process, environmentally persistent free radicals, and microplastics on antibiotics degradation efficiency of aging biochar

Researchers examined how microplastics (specifically polystyrene) added to sewage sludge affect a biochar's long-term ability to degrade antibiotics in compost environments. After composting, the antibiotic-degrading efficiency of biochar decreased — and decreased more when polystyrene microplastics were present — primarily because composting reduced the reactive free radicals that drive antibiotic breakdown. This matters because biochar is increasingly proposed as a tool for removing antibiotic contaminants from waste streams, and microplastic co-contamination of sludge could undermine this function over time.

2023 Bioresource Technology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Urban wastewater disinfection by FeCl3-activated biochar/peroxymonosulfate system: Escherichia coli inactivation and microplastics interference

This study evaluated FeCl3-activated biochar combined with peroxymonosulfate as a system for urban wastewater disinfection, assessing pathogen removal efficiency and identifying reactive species responsible for bacterial inactivation.

2024 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation into the Synergistic Effect of the Zinc Peroxide/Peroxymonosulfate Double-Oxidation System for the Efficient Degradation of Tetracycline

Researchers developed a zinc peroxide and peroxymonosulfate double-oxidation system for degrading tetracycline antibiotics, finding that 10 mg ZnO2 and 30 mg PMS could degrade 82.8% of tetracycline in a 100 mL, 50 mg/L solution with high adaptability across pH 4-12 and temperatures 2-40 degrees Celsius. Quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance confirmed that singlet oxygen was the primary reactive species, and three degradation pathways were identified through intermediate analysis.

2024 Molecules 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic insights to sorptive removal of four sulfonamide antibiotics from water using magnetite-functionalized biochar

This paper is not about microplastics. It investigates how magnetite-functionalized biochar removes sulfonamide antibiotics from water, finding that hydrogen bonding is the primary mechanism of adsorption and that the material's oxygen-containing surface groups drive removal efficiency. The study focuses on antibiotic water contamination remediation rather than microplastic pollution.

2023 Biochar 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline by La-Fe Co-Doped SrTiO3/TiO2 Composites: Performance and Mechanism Study

Researchers developed a new composite material that can break down nearly all tetracycline antibiotic pollution in water using visible light. While focused on antibiotic removal rather than microplastics, the technology is relevant because microplastics commonly carry absorbed antibiotics in water environments. Advanced treatment methods that remove antibiotics could also help address the broader problem of microplastics acting as carriers for harmful chemicals in drinking water sources.

2024 Water 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into the effect of microplastics on photocatalytic degradation tetracycline by a dissolvable semiconductor-organic framework

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics affect the photocatalytic degradation of the antibiotic tetracycline using a novel semiconductor-organic framework catalyst. They found that small amounts of microplastics actually promoted tetracycline breakdown but also altered the degradation products and pathways. The study reveals that microplastics can interfere with water treatment processes in unexpected ways, both helping and hindering pollutant removal depending on conditions.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 41 citations