Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Promoted photodegradation of cadmium pigment-embedded microplastics: Role of reactive microenvironment

Researchers studied how cadmium pigments embedded in microplastics influence their photodegradation behavior in polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene. The study found that the reactive microenvironment generated by cadmium pigments significantly accelerated plastic degradation, particularly in polystyrene, and that this accelerated breakdown correlated with increased release of toxic cadmium ions into the surrounding water.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics sunlight-induce oxidative dissolution, chemical transformation and toxicity enhancement of silver nanoparticles

Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics can induce sunlight-driven oxidative dissolution and chemical transformation of silver nanoparticles, enhancing their toxicity and revealing important implications for how co-occurring pollutants interact in the environment.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics reduce Cr(VI) and decrease its aquatic toxicity under simulated sunlight

Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics can reduce toxic Cr(VI) to less harmful Cr(III) under simulated sunlight, decreasing chromium's aquatic toxicity and revealing an unexpected role of microplastics in contaminant transformation.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Zinc oxide nanoparticles dissolution and toxicity enhancement by polystyrene microplastics under sunlight irradiation

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics dramatically increased the sunlight-induced dissolution of zinc oxide nanoparticles, enhancing the release of toxic zinc ions and reactive oxygen species in aquatic environments.

2022 Chemosphere 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Sunlight mediated cadmium release from colored microplastics containing cadmium pigment in aqueous phase

Scientists examined how sunlight irradiation causes cadmium to leach from colored microplastics containing cadmium-based pigments, finding that photo-dissolution drove cadmium release in aquatic conditions and that smaller particles and longer irradiation times increased release rates.

2020 Environmental Pollution 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Photochemistry of microplastics-derived dissolved organic matter: Reactive species generation and organic pollutant degradation

Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released from degrading polystyrene and PVC microplastics behaves when exposed to sunlight in water. They found that sunlight breaks down the aromatic compounds in this plastic-derived material and generates reactive chemical species, though at lower rates than natural organic matter. Despite this, these reactive species significantly accelerated the breakdown of co-existing pollutants, suggesting that degrading microplastics may act as unexpected natural catalysts in aquatic environments.

2024 Water Research 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Strong PhotochemicalActivity of Colored MicroplasticsContaining Cadmium Pigments: Mechanisms and Implications

Researchers investigated the photochemical activity of microplastics colored with cadmium pigments, finding they generated reactive oxygen species including hydroxyl radicals and superoxide when exposed to simulated sunlight. These colored microplastics degraded over 91% of the endocrine disruptor 17β-estradiol within 23 hours, revealing an underappreciated environmental risk from pigmented plastics.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Strong Photochemical Activity of Colored Microplastics Containing Cadmium Pigments: Mechanisms and Implications

Researchers discovered that colored microplastics containing cadmium pigments are highly photochemically active, generating reactive oxygen species when exposed to sunlight. These reactive chemicals can damage DNA and harm living cells, and the effect was much stronger than in uncolored plastics. The study is significant because many consumer plastics are brightly colored, meaning the health and environmental risks of microplastics may be greater for colored plastic fragments than previously assumed.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of polystyrene microplastics in sunlight-mediated transformation of silver in aquatic environments: Mechanisms, kinetics and toxicity

Researchers investigated how UV-aged polystyrene microplastics mediate the transformation of silver in sunlit aquatic environments, finding that reactive oxygen species generated during MP photo-oxidation both reduced and re-oxidized silver, altering its speciation and toxicity to aquatic organisms.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-term phototransformation of microplastics under simulated sunlight irradiation in aquatic environments: Roles of reactive oxygen species

Researchers examined the long-term photodegradation of polystyrene microplastics under simulated sunlight in aquatic conditions, finding that reactive oxygen species — particularly hydroxyl radicals and singlet oxygen — were the primary drivers of surface oxidation and fragmentation into nanoplastics.

2020 Water Research 580 citations
Article Tier 2

Aged Polystyrene Microplastics Accelerate the Photo-Reduction of Chromium(VI)

Researchers investigated how aged polystyrene microplastics interact with hexavalent chromium, a toxic heavy metal, in water under light conditions. They found that microplastics accelerate the conversion of toxic chromium(VI) to less harmful chromium(III), while the chromium in turn speeds up the aging of the microplastics. The study reveals a complex interplay between microplastics and heavy metals in aquatic environments that could influence the environmental fate of both pollutants.

2025 Water 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal from urban stormwater: Current treatments and research gaps

Researchers investigated the phototransformation of polystyrene microplastics under simulated solar radiation, finding surface oxidation and formation of carbonyl groups after UV exposure. Photo-aged particles showed increased release of dissolved organic carbon and greater toxicity to marine copepods.

2022 Journal of Environmental Management 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics accelerated photodegradation of co-existed polypropylene via photosensitization of polymer itself and released organic compounds

Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics can accelerate the breakdown of polypropylene microplastics when both are present together in water exposed to sunlight. The polystyrene acts as a photosensitizer, generating reactive oxygen species that speed up the oxidation and fragmentation of polypropylene. The finding reveals that different types of microplastics can interact with each other in unexpected ways, potentially accelerating the generation of even smaller plastic particles in the environment.

2022 Water Research 105 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic Transformationof Microplastics and Benzo(a)pyreneunder Simulated Sunlight Irradiation: The Role of Chromophores andReactive Oxygen Species

Researchers studied the synergistic transformation of polystyrene microplastics pre-adsorbed with benzo[a]pyrene under simulated sunlight, finding that benzo[a]pyrene accelerated plastic photoaging while the plastic's surface altered pollutant photodegradation chemistry through chromophore and reactive oxygen species interactions.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Response of microplastic color to photoaging and its influence on the release characteristics of derived dissolved organic matters

Researchers investigated how the color of microplastics affects their degradation under sunlight and the release of dissolved organic matter. The study found that red and yellow microplastics degraded faster due to stronger ultraviolet absorption, releasing more dissolved organic matter, and that long-term exposure to degradation byproducts from certain colored microplastics inhibited plant seed germination and antioxidant enzyme activity.

2026 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
Article Tier 2

Molecular characteristics and plastic additives in dissolved organic matter derived from polystyrene microplastics: Effects of cumulative irradiation and microplastic concentrations

This study investigated how ultraviolet light breaks down polystyrene microplastics and releases dissolved organic matter, including plastic additives, into the surrounding water. Greater UV exposure produced more complex chemical mixtures with higher levels of potentially toxic compounds. The findings are important because sunlight-driven breakdown of microplastics in the environment may release harmful chemicals into water sources that people use for drinking and recreation.

2025 Water Research 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of UV radiation and oxidation on polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics: impacts on cadmium sorption, bioaccumulation, and toxicity in fish intestinal cells

This study examined how UV aging and oxidation change the way polyethylene micro and nanoplastics interact with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, in fish gut cells. While the plastics actually reduced cadmium absorption and toxicity in the cells, UV aging changed the particles' surface chemistry and caused them to clump together differently. The results suggest that the interaction between microplastics and heavy metals in the environment is complex and depends on how weathered the plastic is.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of polystyrene microplastics on the volatilization, photodegradation and photoinduced toxicity of anthracene and pyrene in freshwater and artificial seawater

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics altered the volatilization, photodegradation, and photoinduced toxicity of anthracene and pyrene in both freshwater and seawater, with effects varying by pollutant type and driven by changes in reactive oxygen species generation.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced malachite green photolysis at the colloidal-aqueous interface

This study found that microplastic particles in water can accelerate the breakdown of certain organic pollutants at the particle surface. The research suggests that microplastics play an underappreciated role in the environmental fate of chemical contaminants.

2021 Chemosphere 12 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

Polystyrene microplastics enhanced the photo-degradation and -ammonification of algae-derived dissolved organic matters

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics affect the breakdown of organic matter released by algae when exposed to UV light. They found that the presence of microplastics accelerated the degradation of amino acid-like compounds and increased ammonia production compared to UV exposure alone. The study suggests that microplastics can act as environmental photosensitizers, potentially altering nutrient cycling in natural water bodies.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Altered biotoxicity of cadmium to freshwater green algae by different concentrations of polystyrene

Polystyrene microplastics at low concentrations partially reduced cadmium toxicity to freshwater green algae, while higher concentrations exacerbated it, demonstrating that combined pollution effects on algae are concentration-dependent.

2024 Applied and Computational Engineering 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption Behavior, Speciation, and Toxicity of Microplastic-Bound Chromium in Multisolute Systems

Researchers investigated how UV filters affect chromium sorption and toxicity on polystyrene microplastics, finding that UV irradiation and co-contaminants alter metal speciation and increase the ecological risk of microplastic-bound heavy metals.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Photodegradation Controls of Potential Toxicity of Secondary Sunscreen-Derived Microplastics and Associated Leachates

Researchers studied how sunlight breaks down microplastics from sunscreen products and whether this makes them more or less toxic. They found that sunlight aging caused chemical changes on the plastic surfaces and released harmful compounds into the water, increasing toxicity to aquatic organisms. This is relevant because sunscreen microplastics are commonly washed into oceans and lakes, where sun exposure could make them more dangerous over time.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 5 citations