Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Heavy metal remediation by nano zero-valent iron in the presence of microplastics in groundwater: Inhibition and induced promotion on aging effects

Researchers found that microplastics in groundwater significantly influenced the performance of nano zero-valent iron used for heavy metal remediation, with some microplastic types inhibiting and others promoting the aging and reactivity of the nanomaterial depending on polymer type and concentration.

2021 Environmental Pollution 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental remediation approaches by nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI) based on its reductivity: a review

This review covers how nanoscale zero-valent iron particles can be used to clean up contaminated wastewater through chemical reduction of pollutants like heavy metals and organic compounds. While not directly about microplastics, these remediation technologies are relevant because they represent advanced approaches to treating the kinds of contaminated water that often also contains microplastic pollution.

2024 RSC Advances 66 citations
Review Tier 2

How Do Micro‐ and Nanoplastics (MNPs) Affect Contaminant Removal by Nano Zero‐Valent Iron (nZVI) in Water and Soil?: A Review

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics interfere with nano zero-valent iron (nZVI), a widely used material for cleaning up contaminated groundwater and soil, finding that plastic particles typically reduce nZVI's effectiveness by clogging reactive sites and causing premature aging. The finding matters because it suggests that microplastic contamination at remediation sites could undermine cleanup efforts for other pollutants like heavy metals and organic compounds, requiring modified iron formulations (such as sulfidated nZVI) to maintain performance.

2026 CLEAN - Soil Air Water
Article Tier 2

Remediation of Micropalstic-heavy Metal Cocontaminated Soils Using Nanoscale Zero-valent Iron Supported on Palygorskite: Mechanisms and Effectiveness

Researchers developed a remediation approach for soils co-contaminated with microplastics and heavy metals using nanoscale zero-valent iron supported on palygorskite. The composite material effectively inhibited microplastic migration in soil and reduced heavy metal mobility, with the microplastic content in deeper soil layers remaining at only about 8% of initial levels after treatment.

2025 Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Research Progress on the Adsorption and Their Mechanisms of Heavy Metal in Soil By Microplastics

This review examines how microplastics adsorb heavy metals in soil environments, summarizing mechanisms including electrostatic attraction, surface complexation, and hydrophobic interactions that make MPs effective vectors for metal transport and bioavailability.

2025 International journal of agriculture and food sciences research.
Article Tier 2

Improved Cadmium Removal Induced by Interaction of Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron and Microplastics Debris

Researchers investigated how PVC microplastics interact with nanoscale zero-valent iron used to remove cadmium from contaminated water. The presence of microplastics actually enhanced cadmium removal, likely due to adsorption on the plastic surface. These findings are relevant because PVC production uses cadmium compounds, meaning both pollutants may co-occur in real environments.

2023 Journal of Environmental Engineering 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastic-Toxic Chemical Interaction: A Review Study on Quantified Levels, Mechanism and Implication

This review summarizes quantified levels of heavy metals and hydrophobic organic contaminants sorbed onto microplastics in environmental media, examining adsorption and desorption mechanisms and discussing health implications of ingested microplastics acting as vectors for toxic chemical transport.

2019 Preprints.org 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and other pollutants in the aquatic environment: study of interactions and new removal strategies

Researchers evaluated iron magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with varying surface modifications -- bare Fe3O4, TEOS-coated, and TEOS+MPS-coated -- for removing four types of microplastics (Nylon 6, PTFE at two sizes, and PMMA) from water, assessing how surface chemistry and synthesis time affect removal efficiency.

2025 Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT)
Article Tier 2

Interactions of microplastics with heavy metals in the aquatic environment: Mechanisms and mitigation

This review synthesized mechanisms of heavy metal adsorption onto microplastics in aquatic environments and evaluated strategies for removing both contaminants simultaneously. The authors found that temperature, salinity, and plastic surface aging govern metal binding, and identified hybrid adsorbent materials as the most promising approach for co-removal of metals and microplastics from water.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
Article Tier 2

Fe(III) Adsorption onto Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Interaction Mechanism, Influencing Factors, and Adsorption Capacity Prediction

This study investigated how iron (Fe III) attaches to different types of microplastics in both freshwater and saltwater, finding that aged and weathered microplastics absorb significantly more iron than new ones. Machine learning models were used to predict how much iron different microplastics can carry under various conditions. This is relevant to health because iron-loaded microplastics may be more toxic and more easily absorbed by organisms in the food chain.

2025 Water 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as carriers of iron and copper nanoparticles in aqueous solution

Researchers investigated how three common types of microplastics absorb iron and copper nanoparticles from water. They found that all three plastics could adsorb significant amounts of metal nanoparticles on their surfaces through physical attachment, with maximum absorption occurring under alkaline conditions. The findings highlight how microplastics can serve as carriers of metal pollutants in aquatic environments, potentially increasing their spread and ecological impact.

2023 Chemosphere 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of microplastics with metal(oid)s in aquatic environments: What is done so far?

This review assembled the mechanisms by which microplastics sorb hazardous metals and metalloids in aquatic environments, examining how weathering, biofilm formation, and environmental conditions influence the transport and bioavailability of these contaminants.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of polyethylene and polyurethane microplastics and their adsorption behavior on Cu2+ and Fe3+ in environmental matrices

Researchers characterized polyethylene and polyurethane microplastics and measured their ability to adsorb heavy metals, finding that both types can bind copper and iron ions from water — raising concern that microplastics may act as carriers that transport toxic metals deeper into aquatic ecosystems and food chains.

2025 Environmental Sciences Europe 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics removal from aqueous solutions by magnetic iron nanoparticles

Researchers tested magnetic iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles for removing polystyrene microplastics from water, systematically optimizing concentration, dosage, contact time, and pH, and found effective microplastic removal through adsorption interactions that could be leveraged for environmental remediation.

2025
Article Tier 2

Study on the Adsorption Behavior and Mechanism of Heavy Metals in Aquatic Environment before and after the Aging of Typical Microplastics

Researchers investigated the adsorption behavior and mechanisms of heavy metals by typical microplastics before and after environmental aging, finding that aging significantly alters microplastics' surface properties and capacity to bind metals such as cadmium and lead in aquatic systems.

2024
Article Tier 2

Surface wettability control and electron transport regulation in zerovalent iron for enhanced removal of emerging polystyrene microplastics-heavy metal contaminants

Researchers developed a specially engineered iron-based material that can simultaneously remove microplastics and heavy metals from wastewater by combining a water-repelling outer layer with efficient electron transfer at its core. In tests, the material removed over 99% of polystyrene microplastics and prevented the secondary release of heavy metals that often ride along on plastic particles. This addresses the concern that microplastics act as a "Trojan horse," carrying toxic metals into water supplies and living organisms.

2024 Water Research 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Electrostatic Interactions Override Surface Area Effects in Size-Dependent Adsorptive Removal of Microplastics by Fe3O4 Nanoparticles

This study investigated how the size and surface charge of magnetic nanoparticles affect their ability to adsorb and remove microplastics from water. Electrostatic interactions between particle surface charge and MP surfaces overrode simple surface area effects, providing design principles for more effective magnetic nanoparticle-based MP remediation.

2025 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Microplastics existence affected heavy metal affinity to ferrihydrite as a representative sediment mineral

Researchers found that the presence of polystyrene microplastics altered how heavy metals adsorb onto ferrihydrite sediment mineral, with certain microplastic-to-mineral ratios enhancing lead, chromium, and cadmium adsorption, indicating that microplastics can change heavy metal fate and mobility in contaminated sediments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of plastic particles with heavy metals and the resulting toxicological impacts: a review

Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics interact with heavy metals in the environment, identifying electrostatic attraction and pore-filling as the dominant adsorption mechanisms, and finding that factors including pH, salinity, biofilm formation, and particle size collectively determine whether combined exposure produces synergistic toxicity in animals or antagonistic effects in plants.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro-nanoplastics and metals : Development of material models and sorption properties in natural environments

This dissertation examines how micro- and nanoplastics interact with heavy metals in natural environments, developing material models to understand their sorption properties. Since plastics can act as carriers for toxic metals — concentrating and transporting them through ecosystems — the research has important implications for understanding combined pollution risks.

2023 theses.fr (ABES)