Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Crystallinity- dependent heteroaggregation and co-sedimentation between polystyrene nanoplastics and iron (hydro)oxides

Researchers found that the crystallinity of iron (hydro)oxide minerals strongly governs their tendency to aggregate with polystyrene nanoplastics in water — higher crystallinity produces more positive surface charges, stronger electrostatic attraction, and greater hydrogen bonding with nanoplastics, ultimately controlling how and where these combined particles settle in aquatic environments.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

The heteroaggregation and deposition behavior of nanoplastics on Al2O3 in aquatic environments

Researchers systematically investigated heteroaggregation between polystyrene nanoplastics and aluminum oxide particles in aquatic environments, finding significant aggregation under acidic and neutral conditions that increased with ionic strength. Humic acid and fulvic acid inhibited deposition of nanoplastics onto aluminum oxide surfaces through charge reversal and steric repulsion, with humic acid being more effective.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Charge mediated interaction of polystyrene nanoplastic (PSNP) with minerals in aqueous phase

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with common soil and sediment minerals, finding that positively charged iron oxide minerals (goethite and magnetite) strongly adsorb nanoplastics via electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding, while negatively charged clay minerals do not — providing mechanistic insight into how nanoplastics may accumulate in iron-rich soils and sediments.

2020 Water Research 177 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of polystyrene nanoplastics with impurity-bearing ferrihydrite and implication on complex particle sedimentation

Researchers investigated how aluminum-, manganese-, and silicon-bearing iron mineral (ferrihydrite) impurities influence its aggregation with polystyrene nanoplastics in water, finding that aluminum impurities strengthened electrostatic attraction and increased aggregation while silicon and manganese impurities reduced it, with all aggregates showing slower sedimentation than pure ferrihydrite.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative effects of crystalline, poorly crystalline and freshly formed iron oxides on the colloidal properties of polystyrene microplastics

Researchers found that freshly formed iron oxides caused the greatest aggregation of polystyrene microplastics in water, with effects decreasing in the order: freshly formed iron oxide > ferrihydrite > goethite > haematite. The findings suggest that iron oxide copresence can delay microplastic transport or alter their environmental fate depending on pH and crystallinity of the mineral.

2022 Environmental Pollution 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of environmental and biological macromolecules on aggregation kinetics of nanoplastics in aquatic systems

Researchers studied how natural macromolecules like humic acid, alginate, and proteins influence the clumping behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics in water. They found that these macromolecules generally stabilized nanoplastics in sodium chloride solutions but caused them to aggregate in calcium chloride solutions, with effects varying by pH. The findings suggest that the environmental fate and transport of nanoplastics in natural waters depends heavily on the surrounding organic molecules and water chemistry.

2020 Water Research 135 citations
Article Tier 2

Both nanoplastic and iron mineral types determine their heteroaggregation: Aggregation kinetics and interface process

Researchers measured how four types of nanoplastics aggregate with iron minerals and found that surface chemistry drives the outcome — with PMMA forming the strongest heteroaggregates and carboxyl-modified particles the weakest — and that electron transfer from nanoplastics to hematite partially reduces iron, with implications for aquatic iron cycling.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of macromolecules and electrolytes on heteroaggregation kinetics of polystyrene nanoplastics and goethite nanoparticles in aquatic environments

Researchers studied how proteins, DNA, and humic acid affect the clumping of polystyrene nanoplastics with iron mineral particles in water, finding that at low concentrations all three macromolecules inhibit aggregation through steric hindrance — with proteins most effective — but that calcium ions can override this stabilization by bridging humic acid to particle surfaces.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of inorganic ions and natural organic matter on the aggregation of nanoplastics

Researchers investigated how inorganic ions and natural organic matter (NOM) influence the aggregation of polystyrene nanoplastics, finding that iron ions uniquely promote aggregation while NOM can either suppress or enhance clumping depending on iron concentration, with electrostatic forces and surface chemistry governing overall particle stability.

2018 Chemosphere 245 citations
Article Tier 2

Heteroaggregation of PS microplastic with ferrihydrite leads to rapid removal of microplastic particles from the water column

Researchers investigated heteroaggregation between polystyrene microplastics and ferrihydrite iron mineral particles, finding that this aggregation process leads to rapid removal of microplastic particles from the water column, with implications for understanding microplastic fate and transport in natural water systems.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The heteroaggregation behavior of nanoplastics on goethite: Effects of surface functionalization and solution chemistry

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functional groups aggregate onto goethite (an iron oxide mineral) in water, finding that amine and carboxyl surface modifications substantially accelerated heteroaggregation through electrostatic and chemical bonding, with salinity promoting and high pH inhibiting the process.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Heteroaggregation of PS microplastic with ferrihydrite leads to rapid removal of microplastic particles from the water column

Researchers found that ferrihydrite, a natural iron mineral, rapidly removes polystyrene microplastics from the water column through heteroaggregation and enhanced sedimentation, suggesting natural mineral interactions may help sequester microplastics in aquatic environments.

2022 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Heteroaggregation kinetics of oppositely charged nanoplastics in aquatic environments: Effects of particle ratio, solution chemistry, and interaction sequence

Researchers investigated how oppositely charged nanoplastics clump together (heteroaggregation) in water under varying pH, salt, and natural organic matter conditions, finding that electrostatic attraction drives aggregation but humic acid retards it more than sodium alginate, while the sequence and timing of chemical interactions also significantly alters the final aggregation behavior.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Heterogeneous aggregation of microplastics and mineral particles in aquatic environments: Effects of surface functional groups, pH, and electrolytes

Researchers studied how microplastics clump together with soil and rock minerals in water, finding that positively charged minerals bound to plastic particles nearly three times more effectively than clay minerals, and that low pH and calcium ions dramatically accelerated aggregation. Understanding these dynamics helps predict where microplastics will settle or stay suspended in rivers, lakes, and aquifers.

2025 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Chemosphere 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Heteroaggregation and sedimentation of natural goethite and artificial Fe3O4 nanoparticles with polystyrene nanoplastics in water

Iron oxide nanoparticles -- both engineered magnetite and natural goethite -- were found to heteroaggregate and co-sediment with polystyrene nanoplastics in water, with humic acid and extracellular polymeric substances modifying aggregate formation.

2024 Carbon Research 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Deposition behaviors of carboxyl-modified polystyrene nanoplastics with goethite in aquatic environment: Effects of solution chemistry and organic macromolecules

Researchers systematically measured how pH, ions, and dissolved organic molecules affect the settling of carboxylated nanoplastics onto the iron mineral goethite, finding that higher pH, multivalent anions, and organic macromolecules (especially alginate) strongly inhibit deposition through electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Coaggregation of micro polystyrene particles and suspended minerals under concentrated salt solution: A perspective of terrestrial-to-ocean transfer of microplastics

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics co-aggregate with suspended mineral colloids in concentrated salt solutions, with bentonite most efficiently driving aggregation, suggesting that mineral-microplastic aggregates may be an important mechanism for transporting microplastics from terrestrial environments to the ocean.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of typical clay minerals on aggregation and settling of pristine and aged polyethylene microplastics

Researchers investigated how common clay minerals affect the aggregation and settling behavior of pristine and aged polyethylene microplastics in water. They found that high salt concentrations promoted the settling of microplastics when clay minerals were present, and that electrostatic repulsion was the dominant force governing interactions between plastics and clay particles. The findings provide new insights into how microplastics are transported and deposited in natural water systems.

2022 Environmental Pollution 56 citations
Article Tier 2

UV-weathering affects heteroaggregation and subsequent sedimentation of polystyrene microplastic particles with ferrihydrite

UV weathering of polystyrene microplastics significantly altered their surface properties, increasing heteroaggregation with ferrihydrite iron colloids and accelerating particle sedimentation compared to pristine PS—demonstrating that environmental weathering substantially changes microplastic fate and removal in aquatic systems.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 4 citations