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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Aggregation in experimental studies with microparticles: Experimental settings change particle size distribution during exposure
ClearStability and dispersibility of microplastics in experimental exposure medium and detection of nanoplastic fractions by SMLS, SAXS, Raman microscopy, and SEM
Researchers investigated the stability and dispersibility of microplastics in laboratory exposure media, assessing how particle aggregation affects experimental dosing and relevance to ecological risk assessment. Microplastic behavior in test media differed substantially from predicted behavior based on particle properties alone, with implications for toxicity test design.
A review of microplastics aggregation in aquatic environment: Influence factors, analytical methods, and environmental implications
This review examines how microplastics clump together in aquatic environments, a behavior called aggregation that affects where they end up and how available they are to organisms. Researchers evaluated the factors that influence aggregation, including water chemistry, particle size, and the presence of natural organic matter. The study identifies important gaps in field research and calls for standardized methods to better understand how aggregation shapes the environmental fate of microplastics.
Aggregation in experimental studies with microparticles: Bacterial communities in the exposure system affect animal responses to the test particles
Researchers found that bacterial communities established by the test animals themselves in exposure vessels significantly influenced how aquatic organisms responded to microplastic particles in laboratory studies. The findings highlight a frequently overlooked confounding factor in ecotoxicological experiments with particulate materials.
Sedimentation behavior of aggregated microplastics: Influence of particle size and water constituents in environmental waters
Laboratory experiments investigated how aggregation of microplastics with sediments and organic matter affects their sinking rates in water, finding that aggregate composition strongly influences settling velocity. These findings improve models predicting whether microplastics sink to the seafloor or remain suspended in the water column.
Stability and dispersibility of microplastics in experimental exposure medium and detection of nanoplastic fractions by SMLS, SAXS, Raman microscopy, and SEM
Researchers investigated the stability and dispersibility of microplastics in standard laboratory exposure media, finding that particle aggregation behavior varies significantly with medium composition and can affect toxicity test outcomes if not carefully controlled.
The environmental fate of nanoplastics: What we know and what we need to know about aggregation
Researchers systematically analyzed experimental studies on nanoplastic aggregation behavior, evaluating the environmental relevance of 377 solution chemistries and 163 particle models. The study found that commonly used polymer latex spheres do not accurately represent real-world nanoplastics, and suggests that incidentally produced nanoplastics may be more sensitive to heteroaggregation than previously expected.
Effect of Dry Soil Aggregate Size on Microplastic Distribution and Its Implications for Microplastic Emissions Induced by Wind Erosion
Researchers investigated the aggregation behavior and toxicity of polyethylene terephthalate nanoplastics in freshwater under varying pH and ionic conditions, finding that aggregation reduced acute toxicity to Daphnia magna but increased sedimentation and benthic exposure. Environmental chemistry strongly mediates nanoplastic risk.
Particle Size and Pre-Treatment Effects on Polystyrene Microplastic Settlement in Water: Implications for Environmental Behavior and Ecotoxicological Tests
How polystyrene microplastics are prepared for lab tests — including shaking or ultrasonic treatment — significantly affects particle size distributions and thus experimental outcomes. Standardizing sample preparation is critical for producing reproducible and comparable microplastic research results.
Nanoplastics Aggregation in Environment: Analytical Methods and Environmental Implications
This review examines how nanoplastics aggregate in the environment—clumping together or attaching to other particles—and how this affects their analysis and ecological impact. Aggregation changes how nanoplastics move through water and accumulate in organisms, complicating risk assessment for these extremely small plastic particles.
Reconciling the actual and nominal exposure concentrations of microplastics in aqueous phase: Implications for risk assessment and deviation control
Researchers analyzed 210 published microplastic exposure experiments and found that nearly 40% had actual particle concentrations deviating more than 20% from their stated nominal values, with particle size identified as the key factor driving inaccuracy, and proposed correction approaches to improve risk assessment reliability.
Data driven methods to increase the reliability of microplastics hazard assessment
Researchers applied statistical data-driven methods to improve the reliability of microplastic hazard assessments derived from a growing but inconsistent body of ecotoxicology literature. The analysis identified key study characteristics that explain variability in reported effect sizes.
A simple methodology for in situ study of microplastics’ aggregation
This study developed a straightforward lab method to measure how microplastics clump together (aggregate) under different water chemistry conditions — including varying pH, dissolved organic matter, and stormwater composition — and after UV weathering. Key findings: weathered microplastics aggregate much more readily than fresh ones, especially in stormwater, meaning aged plastics in the environment tend to form larger clumps that settle out differently and interact with aquatic organisms differently. Understanding aggregation behavior is essential for predicting where microplastics end up in rivers and lakes and how bioavailable they are.
Aggregation behavior of polyethylene microplastics in the nearshore environment: The role of particle size, environmental condition and turbulent flow
Researchers investigated how particle size, salinity, dissolved organic matter, and turbulent flow affect the aggregation behavior of polyethylene microplastics in nearshore water, finding that all factors influenced aggregation rates and aggregate structure. Understanding microplastic aggregation in estuarine environments is essential for predicting their sedimentation and biological uptake.
Constraints and Priorities for Conducting Experimental Exposures of Marine Organisms to Microplastics
Researchers reviewed the design of laboratory microplastic exposure experiments on marine organisms and identified key constraints including unrealistic concentrations, lack of weathered particles, and limited consideration of mixture effects. The study provides guidance on experimental priorities, emphasizing the need for environmentally relevant conditions and standardized methods to produce more reliable and comparable ecotoxicological data.
Exposure protocol for ecotoxicity testing of microplastics and nanoplastics
This paper presents a standardized testing protocol for evaluating the environmental toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics. Current studies often use uniform lab-made plastic particles that do not represent the irregular shapes and mixed compositions found in nature. The new protocol addresses this gap by providing methods for creating more realistic test particles and adapting existing guidelines for both soil and water organisms.
Relevant and Realistic Assessments of Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Environment
This paper discusses methodological challenges in microplastic risk assessment, arguing that studies using only clean, uniform lab-prepared particles may not reflect the complex, mixed-type plastic particles actually found in the environment. More realistic experimental conditions are needed to generate data that accurately predicts ecological harm from microplastic pollution.
Sediment organic carbon dominates the heteroaggregation of suspended sediment and nanoplastics in natural and surfactant-polluted aquatic environments
Researchers found that sediment organic carbon plays a dominant role in the heteroaggregation of nanoplastics with suspended sediment particles, with surfactant pollution altering aggregation dynamics and influencing the environmental transport and fate of nanoplastics in aquatic systems.
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.
Experimental study on parameterizing microplastic-sediment aggregation
Researchers conducted laboratory flocculation experiments to parameterize microplastic-sediment aggregation, testing fibers, fragments, and spheres of varying sizes and densities to characterize how microplastics and sediment form flocs with enhanced settling velocity, with the goal of improving numerical transport models of microplastic fate in rivers and estuaries.
Confounding factors in nano and microplastic ecological risk assessment
This review identified and discussed the major confounding factors in micro- and nanoplastic ecotoxicology research, including particle variability, contamination during testing, and inconsistent methodology. The authors highlighted how these confounders lead to discrepancies across studies and outlined best practices for improving data quality and comparability.
The association of microplastics with water-stable aggregates formed under controlled conditions
Researchers compiled data from a controlled study examining the association between microplastics and water-stable soil aggregates, providing the underlying dataset for the linked publication on microplastic-aggregate interactions.
Ecotoxicity testing of microplastics: Considering the heterogeneity of physicochemical properties
Researchers reviewed how the diverse physical and chemical properties of microplastics, including particle size, shape, crystallinity, surface chemistry, and polymer composition, may influence their ecotoxicity. They argue that standard testing with uniform microbeads fails to capture the heterogeneity of environmental microplastics and may lead to inaccurate risk assessments. The study calls for a more structured approach to testing different microplastic properties to identify the key drivers of toxicity.
Biogenic Aggregation of Small Microplastics Alters Their Ingestion by a Common Freshwater Micro-Invertebrate
This study found that when small microplastics become incorporated into biogenic aggregates formed by aquatic organisms, they are more readily ingested by freshwater filter-feeding invertebrates than individual plastic particles alone. This mechanism suggests that microplastic uptake by freshwater zooplankton may be underestimated when biological aggregation is not accounted for.
A versatile test system to determine nanomaterial heteroagglomeration attachment efficiency
Researchers developed a standardized test system to measure how readily nanoparticles — including nanoplastics — clump together with other environmental particles, which determines how fast they settle out of water. This attachment efficiency data is critical for modeling nanoplastic fate and risk in aquatic environments.