Papers

61,005 results
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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

Impact of natural organic matter and inorganic ions on the stabilization of polystyrene micro-particles

Researchers investigated how natural organic matter (NOM) and inorganic ions affect the stabilization and aggregation behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics in water, finding that NOM enhanced colloidal stability while high ionic strength promoted aggregation. The results indicate that water chemistry plays a dominant role in determining nanoplastic mobility and persistence in natural freshwater environments.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 5 citations
Article Tier 2

A comparative study on the stability and coagulation removal of aged vs. nonaged nanoplastics in surface water

Researchers used palladium-doped nanoplastics as tracers to compare how environmentally aged and pristine nanoplastics behave during water treatment coagulation. They found that ozone-aged nanoplastics developed more oxygen-containing surface groups, making them harder to remove through conventional coagulation, while solar-aged particles showed mainly physical changes. The study suggests that current drinking water treatment processes may be less effective at removing aged nanoplastics than fresh ones.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Aggregation kinetics of different surface-modified polystyrene nanoparticles in monovalent and divalent electrolytes

Researchers investigated how surface chemistry and morphology affect the clumping behavior (aggregation kinetics) of polystyrene nanoplastics in water, finding that surface charge and functional groups strongly govern stability, while dissolved organic matter can either inhibit or promote aggregation depending on concentration and whether mono- or divalent ions are present.

2019 Environmental Pollution 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Aggregation behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics: Role of surface functional groups and protein and electrolyte variation

Researchers studied how different surface coatings on polystyrene nanoplastics affect their tendency to clump together in water containing proteins and salts. They found that the type of surface functional group significantly changed how the particles aggregated, with proteins and electrolytes playing important roles in the process. The study helps explain how nanoplastics behave and transform as they move through natural water systems.

2023 Chemosphere 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Aquatic behavior and toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastic particles with different functional groups: Complex roles of pH, dissolved organic carbon and divalent cations

Researchers systematically examined how water chemistry — pH, dissolved organic carbon, and divalent calcium and magnesium ions — affects the stability, aggregation, and toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functional groups, finding that complex solution conditions enhanced aggregation through cation bridging and increased oxidative gut damage in Daphnia magna.

2019 Chemosphere 128 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding and Improving Microplastic Removal during Water Treatment: Impact of Coagulation and Flocculation

Researchers systematically tested coagulation and flocculation for removing microplastics from drinking water, finding that removal efficiency depended strongly on plastic particle size and whether particles had been weathered, with smaller pristine particles being the hardest to remove.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 424 citations
Article Tier 2

Photoaging alters the aggregation behavior of functionalized nanoplastics differently: effects of leached organic matter and surface properties changes

This study found that UV photoaging of nanoplastics changes their surface chemistry and causes them to release organic compounds, but the downstream effect on how particles clump together (aggregation) differs markedly depending on what chemical groups are on the particle surface. This matters because aggregation behaviour controls whether nanoplastics sink or stay suspended in water, affecting which organisms are exposed and how far the particles travel.

2026 Environmental Science Nano
Article Tier 2

Improving nanoplastic removal by coagulation: Impact mechanism of particle size and water chemical conditions

Researchers found that coagulation using aluminum chlorohydrate and polyacrylamide achieved up to 98.5% removal efficiency for polystyrene nanoplastics, with smaller particles being easier to remove, though humic acid in water competed for adsorption sites and reduced effectiveness.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 112 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
Article Tier 2

Impact of different modes of adsorption of natural organic matter on the environmental fate of nanoplastics

Natural organic matter in water can stabilize nanoplastics by coating their surfaces and preventing them from clumping together and settling out, with different types of organic matter working through different physical mechanisms. Understanding this stabilization effect is important for predicting how long nanoplastics remain suspended in aquatic environments.

2020 Chemosphere 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of size and surface charge on the sedimentation of nanoplastics in freshwater

Researchers investigated how size and surface charge of polystyrene nanoplastics affect their sedimentation behavior in freshwater, finding that both properties significantly influence aggregation dynamics and settling rates, with implications for predicting nanoplastic fate in aquatic environments.

2023 Chemosphere 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastics on the Coagulation Mechanism of Polyaluminum–Titanium Chloride Composite Coagulant for Organic Matter Removal Revealed by Optical Spectroscopy

This study investigated how microplastics interfere with a water treatment coagulant (PATC) designed to remove dissolved organic matter from drinking water. High concentrations of aged polystyrene microplastics competed with organic matter for active binding sites on the coagulant, reducing its effectiveness at removing certain compounds while also slowing the breakdown of its most reactive component. The results show microplastics in source water can compromise the efficiency of conventional water purification processes.

2024 ACS ES&T Engineering 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Revealing the removal behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics and natural organic matter by AlTi-based coagulant from the perspective of functional groups

Researchers examined how the surface chemistry of polystyrene nanoplastics (carboxyl vs. amine groups) and co-occurring natural organic matter influence removal by a novel aluminum-titanium coagulant, finding that amine-functionalized particles are more easily removed across a wider pH range and that low-molecular-weight organic acids preferentially occupy coagulant binding sites, complicating nanoplastic removal in natural water matrices.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of ozonation on the morphological characteristics and adsorption behavior of polystyrene microplastics in aqueous environments

Researchers exposed polystyrene microplastics to ozone treatment and found that the aging process made the particles smaller, more negatively charged, and better at absorbing pollutants from water — meaning weathered microplastics in the environment may carry more harmful chemicals than fresh ones.

2025 Applied Water Science 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on extracellular polymeric substance composition of activated sludge: The role of surface functional groups

Researchers investigated how three types of polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functional groups affect activated sludge used in wastewater treatment. All three types significantly reduced total protein production in the sludge and caused cellular oxidative stress and membrane damage, with positively charged particles causing the most harm. The findings suggest that nanoplastic contamination in wastewater could impair the biological processes essential for effective sewage treatment.

2021 Environmental Pollution 79 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effect of Water Components on Aggregation and Sedimentation of Polystyrene Nanoplastics].

Researchers investigated how sodium ions (Na+) and natural organic matter (NOM) affect the aggregation and sedimentation of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) in six water types including seawater, lake water, and domestic sewage. They found that Na+ concentrations below 80 mmol/L facilitated PS-NP sedimentation, while NOM effects varied by water type, with findings informing the environmental fate and distribution of nanoplastics.

2024 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms underlying the detrimental impact of micro(nano)plastics on the stability of aerobic granular sludge: Interactions between micro(nano)plastics and extracellular polymeric substances

Researchers found that both micro- and nanoplastics at realistic concentrations harmed the performance of aerobic granular sludge, a technology used for wastewater treatment, by reducing its ability to remove nitrogen. The plastic particles interacted with the sticky substances that hold the sludge granules together, weakening their structural integrity. The study reveals a specific mechanism by which plastic pollution can undermine wastewater treatment systems that communities rely on for clean water.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 31 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Microplastics on Floc Formation, Nutrient Removal and Settleability in Wastewater Treatment

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect floc formation, nutrient removal, and settleability in wastewater treatment systems, examining the mechanisms by which these ubiquitous anthropogenic pollutants entering via packaging, cosmetics, and other production sectors disrupt activated sludge processes.

2024
Article Tier 2

Influence of nanoplastic surface charge on eco-corona formation, aggregation and toxicity to freshwater zooplankton

Researchers examined how surface charge and natural organic matter influence the stability and toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to freshwater zooplankton. They found that positively charged nanoplastics were significantly more toxic than negatively charged ones, and that natural organic matter formed an eco-corona on the particles that reduced their toxicity. The study highlights that both particle surface properties and environmental conditions play critical roles in determining nanoplastic impacts on aquatic organisms.

2019 Environmental Pollution 242 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of electrolyte and natural organic matter characteristics on the aggregation and sedimentation of polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers examined how dissolved organic matter from different water sources affects the aggregation and sedimentation of polystyrene nanoplastics under varied salt concentrations and temperatures, finding that biopolymers form a protective 'eco-corona' around particles that strongly inhibits long-term sedimentation, while temperature influences aggregation dynamics in complex ways.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular-LevelInsights into the Influence of NaturalOrganic Matter on Nanoplastic-Small Molecule Emerging ContaminantInteractions

Researchers found that natural organic matter significantly alters the interaction dynamics between polystyrene nanoplastics and multiple small-molecule emerging contaminants including PCBs, bisphenol S, DDT, and PFOS in aquatic systems, using molecular-level analysis to reveal the mechanistic influence.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Effects of organic matter on interaction forces between polystyrene microplastics: An experimental study

Researchers examined how organic matter in seawater affects the aggregation and adhesion forces between polystyrene microplastics, finding that organic coatings alter surface interaction forces in ways that influence whether microplastics clump together and sink or remain dispersed in the water column.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Filtration of polystyrene nanoplastics with different functional groups by natural mineral materials: Performance and mechanisms

Researchers tested natural granular mineral materials including manganese sand, zeolite, and limestone as filter media for removing polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functional groups from water. The study assessed which minerals perform best in rapid sand filters for nanoplastic removal under varying water chemistry conditions.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 8 citations