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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Impacts of extracellular polymeric substances on the behaviors of micro/nanoplastics in the water environment
ClearAgglomeration of nano- and microplastic particles in seawater by autochthonous and de novo-produced sources of exopolymeric substances
Nano- and microplastic particles in seawater were found to readily form agglomerates with naturally produced exopolymeric substances, altering their surface properties, size, and sinking behavior compared to pristine particles. The study demonstrates that natural organic matter in seawater fundamentally changes how plastic particles behave and interact with marine organisms and sediments.
Molecular assembly of extracellular polymeric substances regulating aggregation of differently charged nanoplastics and subsequent interactions with bacterial membrane
Researchers used molecular simulations and experiments to study how bacteria produce natural coatings that change the behavior of nanoplastics in water. These biological coatings altered how nanoplastics clump together and interact with bacterial cell membranes, depending on the plastic's surface charge. Understanding these interactions is important because biological coatings in real environments could change how nanoplastics move through ecosystems and affect living organisms.
Sinking of microbial-associated microplastics in natural waters
Researchers investigated how microbial biofilm colonization of microplastics affects their buoyancy and sinking behavior in natural waters, finding that biological ballasting from attached microorganisms can significantly increase particle density and promote vertical transport toward sediments. The results suggest that biofouling is a key mechanism driving the removal of microplastics from surface waters.
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.
Interplay between microplastics and natural organic matter in association with environmental processes
This review explores how microplastics interact with natural organic matter—the dissolved and particulate carbon that permeates soils and waterways—and how these interactions alter microplastic transport, surface chemistry, and biological availability. Because natural organic matter coats microplastics and changes their behavior, ignoring this interplay leads to underestimates of how far and how dangerously microplastics spread through ecosystems.
Functional groups in microalgal extracellular polymeric substances: A promising biopolymer for microplastic mitigation in marine ecosystems
Researchers characterized the sticky, sugar-like substances (extracellular polymeric substances, or EPS) produced by three types of microalgae and found these natural biopolymers could potentially bind and aggregate microplastics in marine environments, pointing toward a nature-based approach to reducing ocean plastic pollution.
Interaction of nanoplastics with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the aquatic environment: A special reference to eco-corona formation and associated impacts
This review examines how nanoplastics in aquatic environments interact with natural biomolecules to form an eco-corona coating that fundamentally changes their behavior and ecological impact. Researchers found that this biological coating alters the surface chemistry, transport, and toxicity of nanoplastic particles in ways that depend on environmental conditions. The study highlights that understanding eco-corona formation is essential for accurately assessing the real-world risks of nanoplastic pollution.
Algae polysaccharide-induced transport transformation of nanoplastics in seawater-saturated porous media
Researchers examined how three types of algae polysaccharides affect the aggregation and transport of nanoplastics through seawater-saturated sand. They found that coating nanoplastics with these natural compounds dramatically changed their mobility, with sodium alginate and fucoidan reducing aggregation and increasing transport through the porous media. The study suggests that naturally occurring algae compounds in marine environments may significantly influence where nanoplastics end up.
Microbial Life on the Surface of Microplastics in Natural Waters
Researchers reviewed how microorganisms colonize the surface of microplastic particles floating in natural waters, forming biofilms that can include potentially harmful bacteria. These biofilm-coated microplastics concentrate near the water-air interface and are more readily consumed by aquatic animals than bare plastic particles. The study highlights that understanding microbial life on microplastics is essential for assessing their environmental and public health impacts.
The Composition of the Eco-corona Acquired by Micro- and Nanoscale Plastics Impacts on their Ecotoxicity and Interactions with Co-pollutants
This review examines how the 'eco-corona' — a layer of environmental biomolecules adsorbing onto plastic particle surfaces — alters the toxicity, transport, and interaction with co-pollutants of micro- and nanoplastics, emphasizing that this biological coating fundamentally changes how plastics behave in living organisms.
Impact of Biofilm Formation on Microplastic Behaviour in Aquatic Environments: An Comprehensive Review.
This review examines how biofilms — communities of microorganisms that coat microplastics — change the behavior of plastic particles in aquatic environments, affecting how they move, sink, and interact with ecosystems. Understanding biofilm formation on microplastics is key to predicting where these particles end up and what risks they pose to water quality and aquatic life.
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.
Influence of environmental and biological macromolecules on aggregation kinetics of nanoplastics in aquatic systems
Researchers studied how natural macromolecules like humic acid, alginate, and proteins influence the clumping behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics in water. They found that these macromolecules generally stabilized nanoplastics in sodium chloride solutions but caused them to aggregate in calcium chloride solutions, with effects varying by pH. The findings suggest that the environmental fate and transport of nanoplastics in natural waters depends heavily on the surrounding organic molecules and water chemistry.
Impacts of Biofilm Formation on the Fate and Potential Effects of Microplastic in the Aquatic Environment
Researchers reviewed how biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces affects the fate and potential ecological effects of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that biofilms alter particle buoyancy, surface chemistry, and interactions with organisms.
Interactions Between Microplastics and Marine-Derived Polysaccharides: Binding Mechanisms and Bioavailability in Aquatic Systems
This review examines how natural marine polysaccharides like alginate, chitosan, and carrageenan interact with microplastics in aquatic environments through forces such as electrostatic attraction and physical trapping. Researchers found that these biopolymers can influence how microplastics move, clump together, and become available to organisms in the food web. The study suggests that modified marine polysaccharides could potentially be used in environmentally sustainable approaches to microplastic remediation.
Interactions between micro(nano)plastics and natural organic matter: implications for toxicity mitigation in aquatic species
This review examines how natural organic matter found in water can reduce the harmful effects of micro- and nanoplastics on aquatic species. Researchers found that natural organic matter forms a coating called an eco-corona on plastic particles, which can decrease their toxicity to organisms like fish and water fleas. The findings suggest that the natural composition of waterways plays an important role in moderating the ecological impact of plastic pollution.
Heteroaggregation of nanoplastic particles in the presence of inorganic colloids and natural organic matter
Nanoplastics were found to heteroaggregate extensively with inorganic colloids and natural organic matter in both freshwater and marine conditions, altering their size, surface charge, and settling behavior compared to pristine particles. The study demonstrates that nanoplastic behavior in natural waters is dominated by interactions with other environmental constituents rather than the intrinsic properties of the plastic alone.
Interplay between extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from a marine diatom and model nanoplastic through eco-corona formation
Researchers incubated polystyrene nanoplastics with extracellular polymeric substances secreted by a marine diatom and found that these biological molecules rapidly formed an "eco-corona" coating on the nanoparticles, significantly slowing their aggregation and reducing oxidative stress in algae — suggesting that natural organic matter in seawater substantially alters nanoplastic behavior and toxicity.
Effects and applications of surfactants on the release, removal, fate, and transport of microplastics in aquatic ecosystem: a review
Researchers reviewed how surfactants interact with microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that surfactants can modify microplastic surface properties and influence their removal during wastewater treatment processes like filtration, flotation, and coagulation. The study suggests that surfactant concentration is a crucial factor affecting both the transport and the pollutant-carrying capacity of microplastics in water systems.
Adsorption behavior of organic pollutants and metals on micro/nanoplastics in the aquatic environment
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments adsorb organic pollutants and metals onto their surfaces, effectively acting as carriers for other contaminants. Researchers found that environmental factors like pH, salinity, and aging of the plastic significantly influence this sorption behavior. The findings raise concerns that microplastics may increase the bioavailability and toxicity of chemical pollutants in waterways.
Microplastics and Nanoplastics in the Aquatic Environment: Contamination, Determination and Interaction with Other Contaminants
This review gathers information on microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in aquatic environments, examining their detection methods, environmental persistence, and interactions with other contaminants including their capacity to adsorb and release chemical compounds.
Biofilm on microplastics in aqueous environment: Physicochemical properties and environmental implications
This review examines how bacteria and other microorganisms form sticky films called biofilms on microplastic surfaces in water. These biofilms change how microplastics move through the environment and increase their ability to absorb pollutants like heavy metals, pesticides, and antibiotics. Biofilm-coated microplastics may also carry harmful bacteria, making them a greater potential health risk than clean microplastic particles.
Recent Advances in the Aggregation Behavior of Nanoplastics in Aquatic Systems
This review examines recent advances in understanding nanoplastic aggregation behavior in aquatic systems, focusing on how polymer surface modification and the use of novel surfactants can be designed to promote aggregation of nanoplastics from the environment. The review distinguishes this approach from conventional surfactant use aimed at dispersing insoluble compounds.
Eco-Corona Dictates Mobility of Nanoplastics in Saturated Porous Media: The Critical Role of Preferential Binding of Macromolecules
The eco-corona that forms on nanoplastic surfaces through interaction with humic substances and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) was found to critically determine nanoplastic mobility through saturated porous media. Humic-coated nanoplastics showed greater mobility than EPS-coated ones, suggesting natural organic matter composition governs nanoplastic transport in groundwater systems.