Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nitrogenous dbps in drinking water: a complex interaction beyond adsorption

Researchers investigated interactions between microplastics and nitrogenous disinfection byproducts in drinking water, examining how plastic particles affect the formation and toxicity of these regulated chemical contaminants. The study identified complex interactions suggesting that microplastics in treated water may alter the risk profile of nitrogenous disinfection byproducts.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nitrogenous dbps in drinking water: a complex interaction beyond adsorption

Researchers examined the interaction between microplastics and nitrogenous disinfection byproducts in drinking water, investigating how plastic particles may influence the formation or toxicity of these chemical contaminants. The study found that microplastics and nitrogenous disinfection byproducts interact in ways that go beyond simple co-occurrence, potentially altering chemical risks in treated water.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on DBPs formation under the chlorination of natural organic matters

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect disinfection byproduct formation during chlorination of natural organic matter in water treatment, finding that the presence of microplastics can influence the generation of potentially harmful DBPs.

2022 Chemosphere 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic insight into the role of typical microplastics in chlorination disinfection: Precursors and adsorbents of both MP-DOM and DBPs

Chlorination of polypropylene and polystyrene microplastics released dissolved organic matter that formed disinfection by-products, with PS-MPs being more susceptible to chlorination; the study found that even small MPs in drinking water can contribute to DBP precursor loads during treatment.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on water disinfection and formation of disinfection by-products

This review examines how the presence of microplastics in drinking water and wastewater interferes with chlorination and ozonation disinfection processes, potentially reducing their effectiveness and generating harmful disinfection by-products. Microplastics can leach dissolved organic carbon that reacts with disinfectants, and they serve as refuges for antibiotic-resistant bacteria that may survive standard treatment. The authors call for more realistic laboratory experiments and field studies to properly assess the real-world risks that microplastics pose inside water treatment plants.

2025 Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Formation of disinfection by-products from microplastics, tire wear particles, and other polymer-based materials

This study investigated the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) during water disinfection from precursors contributed by microplastics, tire wear particles, and other polymeric materials. Results showed that polymer-derived compounds can generate a range of DBPs, raising concerns about microplastic contamination of drinking water sources.

2022 Water Research 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of non-aged and UV-aged microplastics on the formation of halogenated disinfection byproducts during chlorination of drinking water and its mechanism

Researchers investigated how both new and UV-aged microplastics affect the formation of halogenated disinfection byproducts during chlorine treatment of drinking water. They found that non-aged microplastics reduced byproduct formation by adsorbing organic precursors, while UV-aged microplastics had a much smaller reduction effect because they release organic compounds that offset adsorption. The study reveals that environmental aging of microplastics changes their impact on drinking water treatment chemistry in important ways.

2024 Environmental Pollution 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into the dynamic transformation properties of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter and its contribution to the formation of chlorination disinfection by-products

Researchers studied how dissolved organic matter released from microplastics transforms under UV light and how it contributes to the formation of harmful disinfection byproducts during water chlorination. They found that UV exposure changed the chemical composition of the microplastic-derived organic matter, affecting its reactivity during disinfection. The findings suggest that microplastics in water sources may indirectly increase the formation of potentially harmful chemicals during standard water treatment.

2024 RSC Advances 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The potential risks posed by micro-nanoplastics to the safety of disinfected drinking water

This review examines the risks that micro- and nanoplastics pose to the safety of disinfected drinking water. Researchers found that common disinfection processes like ozone, chlorine, and UV treatment can actually make plastics more harmful by promoting leaching of organic compounds and generating disinfection byproducts. The study suggests that enhanced treatment technologies such as advanced coagulation, membrane filtration, and improved detection methods are needed to effectively remove these contaminants and prevent secondary hazards.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Leaching of organic matters and formation of disinfection by-product as a result of presence of microplastics in natural freshwaters

Researchers found that microplastics leach dissolved organic carbon into freshwater, and when combined with chlorine disinfection, this leached material promotes the formation of disinfection byproducts like chloroform in drinking water treatment.

2022 Chemosphere 21 citations
Article Tier 2

UV aging of microplastic polymers promotes their chemical transformation and byproduct formation upon chlorination

Researchers studied how UV aging of different microplastic polymers affects their behavior during water chlorination treatment. They found that UV aging significantly increased the reactivity of polyamide and polyester microplastics, promoting the release of harmful organic compounds and the formation of disinfection byproducts by more than 10-fold. The study reveals that weathered microplastics in drinking water systems may generate more toxic byproducts during standard chlorination than their pristine counterparts.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 46 citations
Article Tier 2

The fate of microplastics and organic matter leaching behavior during chlorination

Researchers studied how chlorination affects polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics and the organic matter they release, finding that chlorination promoted organic carbon leaching from microplastics at about 0.3 to 0.5 parts per thousand of the plastic mass. The leached organic matter showed significant potential to form trihalomethane and haloacetonitrile disinfection byproducts, raising concerns about chlorinated microplastics in drinking water systems.

2022 Chemosphere 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Formation mechanisms of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines from dissolved organic matter derived from nitrogen-containing microplastics during chloramine disinfection

Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter in water facilitates the formation of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines during chlorination, finding that microplastic-associated organic compounds contributed to nitrosamine precursor pools in treatment scenarios.

2025 Water Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics release precursors of chlorinated and brominated disinfection byproducts in water

Researchers investigated whether microplastics leach chemical additives that serve as precursors for chlorinated and brominated disinfection byproducts when exposed to hydrolysis and simulated sunlight, testing seventeen microplastics across seven polymer types and finding that this previously unrecognized pathway poses potential risks to drinking water quality.

2020 Chemosphere 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into the effect of UVC-based advanced oxidation processes on the interaction of typical microplastics and their derived disinfection byproducts during disinfection

Scientists found that UV-based water treatment processes, while intended to clean drinking water, caused microplastics to release more organic matter and form more disinfection byproducts during chlorination. Up to 42% of the toxic byproducts formed were absorbed back onto the microplastic surfaces, creating contaminated particles. This concerning finding suggests that some common water treatment methods could unintentionally make microplastic contamination in drinking water more hazardous.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 14 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of polypropylene microplastics on the DBP formation under the chlorination and chloramination processes

Researchers investigated the formation of six disinfection by-products (DBPs) during chlorination and chloramination of water in the presence of polypropylene microplastics (PP MPs) under varying aquatic chemistry conditions. They found that PP MPs acted as DBP precursors under chlorination, but co-presence of Suwannee River Fulvic acid suppressed DBP formation by 56%, with pH and salinity further modulating the balance between PP as a precursor or organic scavenger.

2022 Chemosphere 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Overlooked risks of photoaging of nitrogenous microplastics with natural organic matter in water: Augmenting the formation of nitrogenous disinfection by-products

Researchers discovered that when nitrogen-containing microplastics like polyamide undergo photoaging in the presence of natural organic matter, they produce significantly elevated levels of harmful nitrogenous disinfection byproducts in water. The dominant byproduct, NDMA, reached concentrations exceeding WHO guidelines at 202 ng/L. The study proposes a new theoretical framework explaining how interactions between aging microplastics and natural organic matter create previously overlooked water treatment risks.

2024 Water Research 11 citations
Article Tier 2

The aging and pollution behavior of microplastics in tap water supply system subjected to residual chlorine exposure

Researchers studied how residual chlorine in tap water distribution systems ages ABS and polycarbonate microplastics, finding that chlorine exposure caused surface changes and increased hydrophilicity of the particles. The aging microplastics released dissolved organic matter into the water and, when interacting with chlorine, produced trichloromethane, a disinfection byproduct. The findings suggest that microplastics in drinking water infrastructure may contribute to the formation of harmful chemical byproducts.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Leaching of organic matter from microplastics and its role in disinfection by-product formation

Researchers found that microplastics leach organic matter into water that subsequently acts as a precursor for disinfection by-products during chlorination, with polystyrene MPs generating the most leachate and producing the most by-products compared to polyethylene MPs.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of chlorine and UV/H2O2 on microplastics in drinking water

Using chlorine and UV/hydrogen peroxide at dosages realistic for actual drinking water treatment plants, this study assessed whether standard disinfection processes alter microplastics in tap water. The work addresses a critical public health question — whether the water treatment people rely on to make tap water safe actually removes or changes the microplastics that have been detected in treated drinking water.

2024 Environmental Science Water Research & Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Physicochemical changes in microplastics and formation of DBPs under ozonation

Researchers examined physicochemical changes in thermoplastic polyurethane and polyethylene microplastics during ozonation water treatment, finding that the process can alter microplastic morphology and potentially generate disinfection byproducts.

2023 Chemosphere 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential disinfection byproducts-related risks to drinking water? Molecular insights into the dissolved organic matter from photodegradation of polyethylene microplastics

This study analyzed the dissolved organic matter released during photodegradation of polyethylene microplastics, finding that sunlight exposure generates complex organic compounds that could act as precursors to disinfection byproducts in drinking water treatment. The results highlight an underappreciated pathway by which microplastics may affect drinking water safety.

2023 ACS ES&T Water 5 citations
Article Tier 2

The Influence of Some Physicochemical Parameters of Surface Waters on the Formation of Trihalomethanes During the Drinking Water Treatment Process

Despite its title referencing trihalomethanes in drinking water treatment, this paper studies disinfection byproducts formed during water chlorination — not microplastic pollution. It examines how water temperature, organic carbon content, and pH affect the formation of potentially carcinogenic chemical compounds in tap water in Romania and is not relevant to microplastics.

2025 Molecules 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the co-occurrence of microplastics, DOM and DBPs inside PVC pipes undergoing chlorination by correlation analysis and unsupervised learning

Researchers exposed PVC drinking water pipes to different chlorine concentrations in a laboratory setup and tracked the co-release of dissolved organic matter, microplastics, and disinfection by-products (DBPs). At higher chlorine doses, both PVC-derived MPs and DOM were released and correlated with DBP formation, while at 1 ppm chlorine, natural organic matter dominated—identifying disinfection as a driver of in-pipe MP generation.

2025 Chemosphere 4 citations