Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Aging-mediated selective adsorption of antibiotics by tire wear particles: Hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions effects

Tire wear particles (a major form of microplastic pollution on roads) become more porous and adsorptive after aging through freeze-thaw cycles or ozone exposure, increasing their capacity to carry certain antibiotics by up to 28-fold for fluoroquinolones. However, the same aging process reduces adsorption of sulfonamide and tetracycline antibiotics, reflecting how the chemistry of both the particle and the antibiotic interact. This shows that weathered tire particles on roadways and in waterways can act as vehicles for antibiotic transport, with implications for antibiotic resistance spread in the environment.

2024 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of antibiotics on microplastics

This study examined the adsorption of antibiotics onto different microplastic types, finding that sorption capacity depended on both the antibiotic's chemical properties and the plastic's surface characteristics, with implications for antibiotic transport in aquatic environments.

2018 Environmental Pollution 1314 citations
Article Tier 2

Desorption of sulfamethoxazole from polyamide 6 microplastics: Environmental factors, simulated gastrointestinal fluids, and desorption mechanisms

Researchers examined the adsorption of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) onto polyamide 6 microplastics and the desorption behavior under different environmental conditions including simulated seawater, gastric fluid, and intestinal fluid, finding that desorption was significantly higher in gastrointestinal fluids than in aqueous environments. The results suggest that organisms ingesting antibiotic-loaded polyamide microplastics may experience higher internal antibiotic exposure than previously estimated.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging, characterization and sorption behavior evaluation of tire wear particles for tetracycline in aquatic environment

Researchers aged tire wear particles using UV weathering and chemical oxidation and studied how aging affects their sorption of tetracycline antibiotics, finding that weathering significantly alters surface chemistry and increases the capacity of tire particles to adsorb and potentially transport pharmaceutical contaminants.

2023 Chemosphere 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption properties and influencing factors of antibiotics on microplastics under simulated gastric fluid environment

Researchers investigated how microplastics adsorb antibiotics under simulated human stomach conditions and found that aged microplastics had significantly greater adsorption capacity than pristine ones. Among the antibiotics tested, amoxicillin was most readily adsorbed by all three microplastic types studied, and adsorption capacity increased with smaller particle sizes and lower ionic strength.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption and desorption behaviors of antibiotics by tire wear particles and polyethylene microplastics with or without aging processes

A comparison of antibiotic adsorption on tire wear particles (TWP) versus polyethylene microplastics found that UV-aged TWP had greater surface area increase and stronger adsorption of chlortetracycline and amoxicillin than aged PE, due to differences in surface chemistry and degradation susceptibility.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 193 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioaccessibility of polypropylene microfiber-associated tetracycline and ciprofloxacin in simulated human gastrointestinal fluids

Researchers tested how antibiotics attached to polypropylene microplastic fibers behave when exposed to simulated human digestive fluids. They found that the antibiotics were released from the microplastics during digestion, with higher release rates in intestinal fluid than in stomach fluid. The study suggests that when people ingest microplastics contaminated with antibiotics, the chemicals can become available for absorption in the gut.

2023 Environment International 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of antibiotics onto aged microplastics in freshwater and seawater

Aged microplastics were found to sorb antibiotics from fresh and saltwater, with aging processes altering the surface properties of the plastic and increasing antibiotic binding capacity in some cases. The adsorption of antibiotics onto aged microplastics could facilitate their transport and delivery to aquatic organisms, potentially contributing to antibiotic resistance in environmental bacteria.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 273 citations
Article Tier 2

Desorption of pharmaceuticals from pristine and aged polystyrene microplastics under simulated gastrointestinal conditions

Researchers investigated how pharmaceuticals desorb from pristine and aged polystyrene microplastics under simulated stomach and intestinal conditions of marine organisms. The study found that pharmaceutical release was higher in gut conditions due to intestinal components enhancing solubility, while aging of microplastics actually suppressed desorption by strengthening electrostatic bonds. Risk assessment indicated that microplastic-associated pharmaceuticals posed relatively low risks to organisms overall.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 163 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic aging alters the adsorption-desorption behaviors of sulfamethoxazole in marine animals: A study in simulated biological liquids

Researchers tested how UV aging of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polyethylene (PE) microplastics affects their adsorption and desorption of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole in simulated fish intestinal and mammalian stomach fluids. Aging increased adsorption capacity for sulfamethoxazole, while desorption in digestive fluids was higher for aged PHA than aged PE, with implications for antibiotic bioavailability in organisms that ingest microplastics.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of microplastics and their interaction with antibiotics in wastewater

Researchers characterized microplastics in wastewater and investigated their interactions with antibiotics, examining how microplastic surfaces adsorb antibiotic compounds and the implications for antibiotic transport and dissemination in wastewater treatment systems.

2025 e_Buah
Systematic Review Tier 1

A critical review of the adsorption-desorption characteristics of antibiotics on microplastics and their combined toxic effects

This systematic review examines how microplastics absorb and release antibiotics in the environment, and the combined toxic effects of this interaction. When microplastics carrying antibiotics are ingested by living organisms, they may promote antibiotic resistance and cause greater harm than either pollutant alone, which is a growing concern for human health.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 58 citations
Article Tier 2

The fate and risk of microplastic and antibiotic sulfamethoxazole coexisting in the environment

Researchers investigated sulfamethoxazole antibiotic adsorption onto polyamide microplastics and found that pH significantly influenced uptake, with adsorbed antibiotics more readily released in natural water than ultrapure water, posing environmental risks.

2022 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 29 citations
Article Tier 2

From Foodborne Pollutant Carrier to Gastrointestinal Trojan Horse: Simulating the Bioaccessibility of Antibiotics Loaded on Aged Polylactic Acid Microplastics in Human Digestive System

Researchers simulated how environmentally aged polylactic acid microplastics transport the antibiotic tetracycline through the human digestive system. They found that aging significantly increased the surface porosity and adsorption capacity of the PLA particles, enhancing their ability to carry contaminants through gastrointestinal digestion. The study suggests that biodegradable food-contact plastics may act as carriers of co-ingested pollutants in the gut.

2026 Foods
Article Tier 2

Investigation of antibiotic clarithromycin adsorption potential on microplastics

Researchers investigated the adsorption potential of the antibiotic clarithromycin onto various microplastic types under controlled laboratory conditions, examining how surface properties and environmental factors influence pharmaceutical-microplastic interactions. The study found that microplastics can adsorb clarithromycin, raising concern about microplastics acting as vectors for antibiotic transport and spread in aquatic environments.

2024 Global NEST Journal
Article Tier 2

Microplastics influence the fate of antibiotics in freshwater environments: Biofilm formation and its effect on adsorption behavior

Researchers found that biofilm formation on microplastics in freshwater environments enhanced antibiotic adsorption by 24-51%, with potential pathogens detected in all biofilm communities across PVC, PA, and HDPE plastics.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 136 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of emerging micropollutants on tire wear particles

Researchers examined how tire wear particles (TWP) adsorb two common water pollutants—bisphenol A and 1H-benzotriazole—and how aging processes (photo, chemical, biological) affect that adsorption. TWP showed stronger adsorption of bisphenol A than benzotriazole, and aging altered sorption behavior, highlighting TWP as a significant carrier of micropollutants in aquatic environments.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Tire wear particles in different water environments: occurrence, behavior, and biological effects—a review and perspectives

This review examines tire wear particles, a major but often overlooked source of microplastics in water environments. Tire particles release toxic chemicals as they break down in water and can harm aquatic organisms, but most research has focused only on the chemical leachate rather than the particles themselves. Since tire wear contributes a large share of total microplastic pollution, understanding its full impact on water ecosystems and the food chain is important for human health.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioaccessibility of Microplastic-Associated Antibiotics in Freshwater Organisms: Highlighting the Impacts of Biofilm Colonization via an In Vitro Protocol

Researchers found that biofilm colonization on microplastics significantly alters the bioaccessibility of associated antibiotics in freshwater organisms, with biofilms acting as reactive coatings that change how pollutants are released and taken up by aquatic life.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Macrolide Antibiotics and a Metabolite onto Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polyethylene Microplastics in Aquatic Environments

Researchers studied how four macrolide antibiotics and a metabolite adsorb onto polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene microplastics in water. They found that antibiotic adsorption followed a linear model, with PET showing higher adsorption capacity than polyethylene. The study suggests that microplastics in aquatic environments may serve as carriers for antibiotics, potentially affecting how these pharmaceutical pollutants are distributed in water systems.

2024 Antibiotics 17 citations