Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Adsorption of chlorophenols on polyethylene terephthalate microplastics from aqueous environments: Kinetics, mechanisms and influencing factors

Researchers investigated the adsorption of chlorophenols onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics from aqueous environments, examining the contributions of hydrophobic, hydrogen-bonding, pi-pi, and electrostatic interactions. The study found that hydrogen bonding and pi-pi interactions were key mechanisms driving chlorophenol uptake by PET microplastics in natural water conditions.

2020 Environmental Pollution 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption Behavior and Mechanisms of Trihalomethanes onto Virgin and Weathered Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics

Researchers studied how trihalomethane disinfection byproducts adsorb onto virgin and weathered PVC microplastics, finding that weathering enhanced adsorption capacity due to surface changes. The results highlight how microplastics in drinking water and treated wastewater can accumulate regulated chemical byproducts.

2024 Toxics 7 citations
Article Tier 2

The interaction mechanism of polystyrene microplastics with pharmaceuticals and personal care products

Computational chemistry methods including force field and density functional theory calculations were used to characterize how polystyrene microplastics interact with co-occurring pharmaceuticals and other organic water pollutants, revealing hydrophobic and pi-pi stacking interactions as dominant adsorption mechanisms. The modeling provides mechanistic insight into microplastics' role as vectors for organic contaminant transport in aquatic environments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of tetracycline antibiotics by microplastics, associated mechanisms, and risk assessments

Researchers systematically investigated how three common microplastic types adsorb tetracycline antibiotics. The study found that polystyrene had the highest adsorption capacity at 178.57 micrograms per gram, followed by PVC and polyethylene, and that PVC and polystyrene strongly retained the antibiotics with minimal desorption, raising concerns about compound pollution from microplastic-antibiotic combinations in the environment.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Modelling of the adsorption of chlorinated phenols on polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastic

This study modeled how chlorinated phenols — toxic water pollutants — stick to polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics sourced from personal care products. The findings suggest microplastics can act as carriers for harmful chemicals in aquatic environments, potentially concentrating toxins and delivering them to organisms that ingest the particles.

2019 Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society 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

Adsorption of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) with Varying Hydrophobicity on Macro- and Microplastic Polyvinyl Chloride, Polyethylene, and Polystyrene: Kinetics and Potential Mechanisms

Researchers found that both plastic size and polymer type influenced the adsorption of contaminants of emerging concern onto PVC, polyethylene, and polystyrene, with microplastics generally adsorbing more than macroplastics and contaminant hydrophobicity playing a key role in determining adsorption kinetics and capacity.

2022 Water 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior and interaction mechanism of microplastics with typical hydrophilic pharmaceuticals and personal care products

This study examined how different types of microplastics adsorb hydrophilic pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic environments, finding that polymer type and surface properties governed the interaction mechanisms. The results indicate that microplastics can act as vectors for these emerging contaminants.

2023 Environmental Research 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Macroscopic and microscopic investigation of adsorption mechanisms of phenanthrene and its derivatives on polyacrylonitrile microplastics

This study investigated how polyacrylonitrile (PAN) microplastics adsorb phenanthrene and four of its chemical derivatives from water, finding that the type of functional group on the pollutant strongly controls how much and how fast it sticks to the plastic. Substituted forms with nitro or chlorine groups adsorbed more strongly than plain phenanthrene. This matters because microplastics can act as carriers of toxic organic pollutants in the environment, and understanding which pollutants bind most readily helps predict contamination risks in aquatic ecosystems.

2026 Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy
Article Tier 2

Significance of Chlorinated Phenols Adsorption on Plastics and Bioplastics during Water Treatment

Microplastics and bioplastics both adsorb toxic chlorinated phenol compounds from freshwater, with adsorption rates depending on the plastic type and contaminant. This finding shows that even bioplastic alternatives to conventional plastic can act as carriers for toxic chemicals in aquatic environments.

2019 Water 51 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

Insights into adsorption mechanisms of nitro polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on common microplastic particles: Experimental studies and modeling

Researchers investigated how nitro polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorb onto common microplastics, finding that the process is controlled by chemical adsorption and hydrophobic partitioning, with pollutant hydrophobicity being the dominant factor influencing adsorption capacity.

2023 Chemosphere 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential Adsorption Affinity of Estrogens on LDPE and PET Microplastics Exposed to Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents

Researchers investigated whether LDPE and PET microplastics recovered from wastewater treatment plant effluents can adsorb estrogen compounds, finding that these common plastic types bind endocrine-disrupting estrogens and may transport them through aquatic ecosystems.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of perfluoroalkyl substances on microplastics under environmental conditions

Researchers examined the capacity of three types of microplastics to sorb 18 perfluoroalkyl substances from freshwater and seawater. They found that perfluorosulfonates and sulfonamides had the strongest tendency to adsorb onto microplastics, with polystyrene showing greater affinity for these chemicals than polyethylene. The study suggests that microplastics in aquatic environments can concentrate harmful PFAS compounds, potentially increasing exposure for organisms that ingest them.

2018 Environmental Pollution 342 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior and mechanism of 9-Nitroanthracene on typical microplastics in aqueous solutions

Researchers investigated the adsorption behavior of 9-Nitroanthracene, a toxic nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, onto polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics, finding that all three polymer types adsorbed the compound and that kinetics followed established sorption models.

2019 Chemosphere 121 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of phenanthrene and its monohydroxy derivatives on polyvinyl chloride microplastics in aqueous solution: Model fitting and mechanism analysis

Researchers investigated the adsorption of phenanthrene and its four monohydroxy derivatives on polyvinyl chloride microplastics in aqueous solution, finding that phenanthrene adsorption was higher than that of its hydroxylated forms. The data fitted pseudo-second-order kinetics and Freundlich isotherm models, indicating that hydroxyl functional groups on pollutant molecules reduce their affinity for PVC microplastic surfaces.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCs) to microplastics

Researchers investigated the sorption of five polyhalogenated carbazoles onto polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride microplastics, finding that sorption capacity varied with plastic type and carbazole structure, indicating that microplastics can act as vectors for these emerging halogenated organic contaminants.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics and wastewater displayed antagonistic toxic effects due to the sorption of wastewater micropollutants

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics and wastewater micropollutants had antagonistic toxic effects when combined, because the nanoplastics sorbed positively charged pollutants through electrostatic interactions, reducing their bioavailability to aquatic organisms.

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

Chlorination-improved adsorption capacity of microplastics for antibiotics: A combined experimental and molecular mechanism investigation

Researchers found that when microplastics go through chlorine disinfection in water treatment plants, they become better at absorbing antibiotics like tetracycline. Chlorination changes the surface of polystyrene microplastics, making them stickier for these drugs through stronger chemical bonding. This means treated wastewater may contain microplastics loaded with antibiotics, potentially increasing health risks when released into the environment.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of tetrabromobisphenol A onto microplastics: Behavior, mechanisms, and the effects of sorbent and environmental factors

The sorption of the flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) onto four types of microplastics — polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride — was studied in aqueous environments. Results revealed that polymer type, surface area, and hydrophobic interactions were key factors controlling how much TBBPA accumulates on microplastic surfaces.

2021 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of particle size and solution chemistry on Triclosan sorption on polystyrene microplastic

Researchers characterized how the antimicrobial compound triclosan adsorbs onto polystyrene microplastics, finding that sorption is driven primarily by hydrophobic interactions and is highest at acidic pH, while temperature, ionic strength, and co-occurring heavy metals had little effect — suggesting polystyrene acts as an environmental carrier for triclosan.

2019 Chemosphere 206 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of benzalkonium chlorides onto polyethylene microplastics: Mechanism and toxicity evaluation

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics adsorb benzalkonium chloride disinfectants and the combined toxic effects on water fleas. The study found that microplastics had strong adsorption capacity for these disinfectants, and surprisingly, the presence of microplastics increased survival rates of Daphnia magna by acting as scavengers that reduced the bioavailability of the toxic chemicals in water.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nitrogenous disinfection byproducts in drinking water: complex interactions beyond adsorption

This study examined how microplastics in drinking water interact with nitrogenous disinfection byproducts (DBPs)—among the most toxic disinfection products—beyond simple adsorption. Researchers found that microplastics can modify DBP formation during water chlorination and alter their bioavailability, complicating risk assessment for treated drinking water containing both microplastics and disinfection byproducts.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics
Article Tier 2

Modifications to sorption and sinking capability of microplastics after chlorination

Researchers found that chlorination disinfection at both low and high doses modified the surface chemistry of PE, PET, PS, and PVC microplastics, increasing surface area and reducing hydrophobicity while weakening their capacity to sorb contaminants like ciprofloxacin. The study concluded that chlorination generally reduces the role of microplastics as transport vectors for organic pollutants, though effects on buoyancy varied by polymer type.

2023 Water Science & Technology Water Supply 5 citations