Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Laboratory Studies about Microplastic Aging and Its Effects on the Adsorption of Chlorpyrifos

Researchers simulated the aging of six types of microplastics in freshwater and seawater to study how weathering affects their ability to adsorb the pesticide chlorpyrifos. The study found that UV-driven aging caused surface cracks, pores, and chemical changes in the microplastics, and the aging process increased their capacity to adsorb chlorpyrifos, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the environment may carry higher concentrations of pesticide pollutants.

2023 Polymers 10 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of microplastic aging on chlorpyrifos adsorption-desorption and microplastic bioconcentration

Researchers investigated how microplastic aging affects chlorpyrifos adsorption-desorption behavior, finding that aged microplastics had higher pesticide sorption capacity and bioconcentration potential, suggesting weathered MPs pose greater risks as pollutant carriers.

2023 Environmental Pollution 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Photoaging effects on polyethylene microplastics: Structural changes and chlorpyrifos adsorption

Researchers studied how UVB-induced photoaging changes the properties of polyethylene microplastics and their ability to absorb the pesticide chlorpyrifos. They found that aged microplastics absorbed nearly 18% more pesticide than pristine ones, due to the formation of oxygen-containing surface groups, increased surface roughness, and reduced crystallinity. The findings suggest that weathered microplastics in the environment may pose greater risks as carriers of harmful pesticides.

2024 Marine Environmental Research 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Photoaging of polyethylene microplastic and its effect on the chlorpyrifos adsorption

This study examined how UV-B radiation ages polyethylene microplastics over time and how that aging changes their ability to adsorb the pesticide chlorpyrifos. Photoaging modified the surface chemistry and structure of the plastic, altering its interaction with the pesticide, suggesting that weathered microplastics in aquatic environments may carry different — and potentially higher — loads of toxic chemicals than fresh particles. This "Trojan horse" effect is important for understanding how microplastics contribute to broader chemical contamination of waterways.

2023 Institutional Repository of the Federal Technological University of Paraná (RIUT) (Federal University of Technology – Paraná)
Article Tier 2

Influence of aging on the affinity between microplastics and organic contaminants

Researchers investigated how UV and UV+H2O2 aging affects the capacity of polystyrene microplastics to adsorb and release pesticides and other organic contaminants, finding that aging-induced surface changes significantly altered adsorption affinity and desorption behavior compared to unaged controls.

2025 SHAREOK (University of Oklahoma; Oklahoma State University; Central Oklahoma University)
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Alachlor, Lindane, And Methomyl onto Polystyrene Microplastics: Effects of Aging Treatments

Researchers studied how laboratory aging treatments affect the ability of polystyrene microplastics to absorb three common pesticides. They found that UV-aged and chemically oxidized microplastics adsorbed significantly more pesticides than unaged particles due to increased surface area and chemical changes. The findings indicate that weathered microplastics in the environment may act as more potent carriers of agricultural chemicals.

2024 Environmental Engineering Science 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic interpretation of the sorption of terbuthylazine pesticide onto aged microplastics

Researchers investigated how accelerated weathering — using UV irradiation, hydrogen peroxide, and ultrasonic treatment — alters the surface properties of polyethylene microplastics and affects their sorption of the herbicide terbuthylazine. Aged polyethylene particles showed measurably different sorption kinetics and capacities compared to pristine particles, providing mechanistic insight into how environmental aging changes microplastic interactions with organic pollutants like pesticides.

2024 Universitätsbibliothek Gießen
Article Tier 2

Aging of microplastics increases their adsorption affinity towards organic contaminants

Researchers found that microplastics that have been weathered by sunlight and environmental exposure absorb significantly more chemical pollutants than fresh microplastics, with up to a 4.7-fold increase in adsorption. Ultraviolet exposure changes the surface chemistry of the plastics, making them stickier for contaminants. This matters because most microplastics in nature are weathered, meaning they may be carrying more toxic chemicals into the food chain than laboratory studies using new plastics would suggest.

2022 Chemosphere 290 citations
Article Tier 2

Behavior and mechanism of atrazine adsorption on pristine and aged microplastics in the aquatic environment: Kinetic and thermodynamic studies

Researchers systematically explored how the pesticide atrazine adsorbs onto both pristine and aged microplastics in aquatic environments. The study found that aged microplastics had higher adsorption capacities than pristine ones, with the aging process and pH significantly affecting surface charge and adsorption behavior, suggesting that weathered microplastics may carry greater loads of chemical contaminants.

2021 Chemosphere 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of UV-B Photoaging on Chlorpyrifos Adsorption by PET Microplastics: Insights from Experimental and DFT Analysis

Researchers studied how UV-B light aging changes the ability of PET microplastics to absorb the pesticide chlorpyrifos, combining laboratory experiments with computational modeling. They found that aging created new surface functional groups on the microplastics that significantly increased their capacity to bind the pesticide. The findings suggest that weathered microplastics in the environment may carry higher loads of harmful chemicals than fresh plastic particles.

2024 ACS Omega 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil health risks caused by interactions of microplastics and pesticides

Chlorpyrifos adsorption and desorption on pristine and UV-aged LDPE and biodegradable microplastics derived from plastic mulch films was investigated in laboratory experiments, along with bioconcentration in earthworms. Aging altered the adsorption-desorption behavior of both plastic types and affected pesticide bioavailability to earthworms, highlighting risks from pesticide-microplastic interactions in agricultural soils.

2024
Article Tier 2

Surface characteristics and adsorption properties of polypropylene microplastics by ultraviolet irradiation and natural aging

This study examined how aging and UV light change the surface properties of polypropylene microplastics and their ability to absorb other pollutants. UV-aged microplastics absorbed significantly more of a common dye pollutant, while naturally aged particles absorbed less due to biological film buildup. Understanding how microplastics change over time in the environment matters because aged particles may carry different levels of harmful chemicals than fresh ones.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Can aged microplastics be transport vectors for organic micropollutants? – Sorption and phytotoxicity tests

This study examined whether aged microplastics can act as transport carriers for organic micropollutants in the environment. Researchers found that aging processes like UV weathering altered the surface properties of microplastics, affecting their ability to sorb pollutants and influence phytotoxicity in plants.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 56 citations
Article Tier 2

A comparative study on the adsorption behavior of pesticides by pristine and aged microplastics from agricultural polyethylene soil films

Researchers compared how pristine and aged agricultural polyethylene film microplastics adsorb pesticides. They found that aged films, which develop rougher surfaces, more cracks, and oxygen-containing chemical groups, adsorb pesticides more readily than pristine ones. The study suggests that weathered agricultural microplastics in soil may act as carriers for pesticide contamination, potentially increasing environmental and human health risks.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 146 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviors of atrazine and imidacloprid on high temperature aged microplastics: Mechanism and influencing factors

Researchers investigated how aged polyethylene microplastics — the kind that have been weathered by UV light and heat in the environment — adsorb common agricultural pesticides, finding that microplastics can accumulate pesticides like atrazine and imidacloprid at high concentrations through hydrophobic (water-avoiding) interactions. This "Trojan horse" effect means microplastics can carry and potentially concentrate pesticides as they move through water environments.

2024 Desalination and Water Treatment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging characteristics of polylatic acid microplastics and their adsorption on hydrophilic organic pollutants: mechanistic investigations and theoretical calculations

Researchers characterized how polylactic acid microplastics undergo UV and thermal aging in aquatic environments, finding that aging altered surface chemistry, increased hydrophilicity, and enhanced adsorption of heavy metal pollutants—raising concerns about aged biodegradable plastics as carriers of co-contaminants.

2025 Environmental Pollution 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption behavior and mechanism of hydrophilic organic chemicals to virgin and aged microplastics in freshwater and seawater

UV-accelerated aging of polystyrene and PVC microplastics increased surface oxidation and introduced microcracks, and aged MPs showed significantly increased adsorption of the hydrophilic antibiotic ciprofloxacin compared to virgin MPs. The findings demonstrate that even hydrophilic organic chemicals can accumulate on aged microplastics, expanding the range of compounds that microplastics may carry and deliver to organisms.

2018 Environmental Pollution 1012 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of levofloxacin by ultraviolet aging microplastics

Researchers studied how ultraviolet aging changes the ability of common microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic levofloxacin. The study found that UV-aged polystyrene, polyamide, and polyethylene microplastics all showed significantly enhanced adsorption capacity compared to their unaged counterparts, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the environment may carry higher pollutant loads.

2023 Chemosphere 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Change in adsorption behavior of aquatic humic substances on microplastic through biotic and abiotic aging processes

Researchers found that both UV irradiation and microbial aging of polyethylene microplastics significantly altered their surface chemistry, changing how aquatic humic substances adsorb onto the plastic surface and highlighting the importance of weathering state in assessing microplastic-contaminant interactions.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 36 citations
Article Tier 2

[Sorption of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers by Virgin and Aged Microplastics].

This study examined how environmental aging under UV light changes the ability of polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics to adsorb polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), common flame retardant chemicals. Aged microplastics showed altered sorption capacity compared to virgin particles, affecting how these toxic chemicals are transported in aquatic environments.

2020 PubMed 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic interpretation of the sorption of terbuthylazine pesticide onto aged microplastics

Scientists studied how environmental aging changes the ability of polyethylene microplastics to absorb a common pesticide called terbuthylazine. Aged microplastics absorbed less pesticide than fresh ones because weathering made their surfaces less water-repellent and more negatively charged. This matters for understanding real-world risks because it suggests that the ability of microplastics to carry pesticides and other chemicals may change over time as the particles weather in the environment.

2024 Environmental Pollution 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the characteristics, adsorption and desorption behaviors of microplastics aged with or without fulvic acid

Researchers investigated how fulvic acid, a key component of dissolved organic matter, influences the aging, adsorption, and desorption behavior of microplastics under UV radiation, finding that water environmental factors significantly alter the surface properties and contaminant-binding capacity of aged microplastics.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of rhodamine B adsorption and desorption on the aged non-degradable and degradable microplastics: Effects of charge-assisted hydrogen bond and underline mechanism

Researchers compared how the dye rhodamine B adsorbs and desorbs from aged versus fresh forms of both degradable and non-degradable microplastics. They found that UV aging increased adsorption capacity across all plastic types by creating rougher surfaces and more oxygen-containing functional groups. The study reveals that charge-assisted hydrogen bonding plays a key role in how aged microplastics interact with cationic organic pollutants in the environment.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Accelerated aging of polyvinyl chloride microplastics by UV irradiation: Aging characteristics, filtrate analysis, and adsorption behavior

Researchers systematically investigated how UV irradiation ages polyvinyl chloride microplastics, characterizing changes in their physical and chemical properties and the organic matter they release. The study established quantitative relationships between the degree of aging and the capacity of microplastics to adsorb environmental pollutants like malachite green and sulfamethoxazole, providing a tool for predicting contaminant accumulation on weathered microplastics in natural environments.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 50 citations