Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Aged Polystyrene Microplastics Accelerate the Photo-Reduction of Chromium(VI)

Researchers investigated how aged polystyrene microplastics interact with hexavalent chromium, a toxic heavy metal, in water under light conditions. They found that microplastics accelerate the conversion of toxic chromium(VI) to less harmful chromium(III), while the chromium in turn speeds up the aging of the microplastics. The study reveals a complex interplay between microplastics and heavy metals in aquatic environments that could influence the environmental fate of both pollutants.

2025 Water 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption Behavior, Speciation, and Toxicity of Microplastic-Bound Chromium in Multisolute Systems

Researchers investigated how UV filters affect chromium sorption and toxicity on polystyrene microplastics, finding that UV irradiation and co-contaminants alter metal speciation and increase the ecological risk of microplastic-bound heavy metals.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 20 citations
Article Tier 2

The photo-redox of chromium regulated by microplastics (MPs) and MPs-derived dissolved organic matter (MPs-DOM) and the CO2 emission of MPs-DOM

Researchers found that microplastics and their derived dissolved organic matter regulate the photo-redox transformation of chromium in wastewater, with UV exposure converting less toxic Cr(III) to more hazardous Cr(VI) while microplastic-derived organic matter influences this process and contributes to CO2 emissions.

2022 Fundamental Research 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics enhance oxidative dissolution but suppress the aquatic acute toxicity of a commercial cadmium yellow pigment under simulated irradiation

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics affect the stability and toxicity of cadmium yellow pigment in water exposed to simulated sunlight. They found that the microplastics actually increased the dissolution of the pigment by generating reactive chemical species, but paradoxically reduced its acute toxicity to aquatic organisms. The study reveals that microplastics can alter the environmental behavior of co-existing pollutants in unexpected ways.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Concentrations of Polystyrene Microplastics Increases Hexavalent Chromium Toxicity in Aquatic Animals

Researchers found that environmentally relevant concentrations of polystyrene microplastics significantly increased the toxicity of hexavalent chromium across multiple aquatic species, acting as vectors that amplify heavy metal harm.

2022 Toxics 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption and Desorption Behavior of Cr(VI) on Two Typical UV-Aged Microplastics in Aqueous Solution

Researchers examined how UV weathering changes the ability of two common microplastic types (polyethylene and polystyrene) to adsorb and release chromium(VI) from contaminated water. UV aging altered surface chemistry and significantly increased adsorption capacity for the toxic heavy metal.

2024 Langmuir 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics sunlight-induce oxidative dissolution, chemical transformation and toxicity enhancement of silver nanoparticles

Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics can induce sunlight-driven oxidative dissolution and chemical transformation of silver nanoparticles, enhancing their toxicity and revealing important implications for how co-occurring pollutants interact in the environment.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging amplifies synergistic adsorption and reduction of Cr(VI) by polyamide microplastics

Researchers found that UV and chemical aging of polyamide microplastics amplified their adsorption and reduction of hexavalent chromium Cr(VI), increasing oxygen-containing functional groups while reducing amide bonds, with Cr(VI) binding driven by electrostatic forces and hydrogen bonds and the aged microplastics able to reduce Cr(VI) to less toxic Cr(III) even under UV light and oxygen-depleted conditions.

2025
Article Tier 2

Role of polystyrene microplastics in sunlight-mediated transformation of silver in aquatic environments: Mechanisms, kinetics and toxicity

Researchers investigated how UV-aged polystyrene microplastics mediate the transformation of silver in sunlit aquatic environments, finding that reactive oxygen species generated during MP photo-oxidation both reduced and re-oxidized silver, altering its speciation and toxicity to aquatic organisms.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyamide microplastics as better environmental vectors of Cr(VI) in comparison to polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics

Researchers found that polyamide microplastics adsorb more hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) than polyethylene or polystyrene microplastics, with UV aging increasing adsorption capacity, making polyamide particles potentially more dangerous environmental vectors for this toxic heavy metal.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparing the influence of humic/fulvic acid and tannic acid on Cr(VI) adsorption onto polystyrene microplastics: Evidence for the formation of Cr(OH)3 colloids

Researchers compared how humic/fulvic acid and tannic acid affect chromium(VI) adsorption onto polystyrene microplastics, finding that dissolved organic matter promotes the formation of Cr(OH)3 colloids, complicating the role of microplastics as heavy metal vectors.

2022 Chemosphere 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as an emerging vector of Cr(VI) in water: Correlation of aging properties and adsorption behavior

Researchers studied the correlation between aging properties and adsorption of hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) onto polyethylene microplastics under accelerated UV aging conditions, finding that aging-induced changes in surface chemistry increased the adsorption capacity. Aged microplastics may act as more effective vectors for toxic heavy metals in aquatic environments.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Zinc oxide nanoparticles dissolution and toxicity enhancement by polystyrene microplastics under sunlight irradiation

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics dramatically increased the sunlight-induced dissolution of zinc oxide nanoparticles, enhancing the release of toxic zinc ions and reactive oxygen species in aquatic environments.

2022 Chemosphere 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal from urban stormwater: Current treatments and research gaps

Researchers investigated the phototransformation of polystyrene microplastics under simulated solar radiation, finding surface oxidation and formation of carbonyl groups after UV exposure. Photo-aged particles showed increased release of dissolved organic carbon and greater toxicity to marine copepods.

2022 Journal of Environmental Management 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviour of microplastics on the heavy metal Cr(VI) before and after ageing

Researchers studied how UV aging affects the adsorption of hexavalent chromium onto PE, PS, and PA microplastics, finding that aged microplastics had significantly enhanced adsorption capacity due to increased surface area and functional group changes from weathering.

2022 Chemosphere 188 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of chlorination on microplastics pollution: Physicochemical transformation and chromium adsorption

Researchers found that chlorination of polyethylene and thermoplastic polyurethane microplastics significantly altered their surface morphology and oxygen-containing functional groups, enhancing their ability to aggregate and adsorb chromium contaminants in water.

2023 Environmental Pollution 31 citations
Article Tier 2

The potential of microplastics as adsorbents of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate and chromium in an aqueous environment

Researchers found that both PET and polystyrene microplastics can adsorb the surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and the heavy metal chromium (Cr(VI)) from water, with adsorption capacity influenced by pH, particle size, and MP dose, highlighting their role as co-pollutant vectors in aquatic environments.

2021 Environmental Research 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-term phototransformation of microplastics under simulated sunlight irradiation in aquatic environments: Roles of reactive oxygen species

Researchers examined the long-term photodegradation of polystyrene microplastics under simulated sunlight in aquatic conditions, finding that reactive oxygen species — particularly hydroxyl radicals and singlet oxygen — were the primary drivers of surface oxidation and fragmentation into nanoplastics.

2020 Water Research 580 citations
Article Tier 2

Promoted photodegradation of cadmium pigment-embedded microplastics: Role of reactive microenvironment

Researchers studied how cadmium pigments embedded in microplastics influence their photodegradation behavior in polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene. The study found that the reactive microenvironment generated by cadmium pigments significantly accelerated plastic degradation, particularly in polystyrene, and that this accelerated breakdown correlated with increased release of toxic cadmium ions into the surrounding water.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Photochemistry of microplastics-derived dissolved organic matter: Reactive species generation and organic pollutant degradation

Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released from degrading polystyrene and PVC microplastics behaves when exposed to sunlight in water. They found that sunlight breaks down the aromatic compounds in this plastic-derived material and generates reactive chemical species, though at lower rates than natural organic matter. Despite this, these reactive species significantly accelerated the breakdown of co-existing pollutants, suggesting that degrading microplastics may act as unexpected natural catalysts in aquatic environments.

2024 Water Research 34 citations
Article Tier 2

How Heavy Metals Influence Microplastic Degradation: UV Absorption and Photoreactivity of Ps-fe₃o₄ Composites

Researchers examined how heavy metals, specifically iron oxide (Fe3O4), influence the UV absorption and photoreactivity of polystyrene microplastics when forming PS-Fe3O4 composite particles. The study found that iron oxide incorporation altered the photodegradation behavior of polystyrene microplastics, with implications for understanding microplastic weathering and associated pollutant release in natural environments.

2025 International Journal of Advanced Research
Article Tier 2

Investigation of Surface Alteration of Microplastics by Using UV Irradiation

UV radiation causes polystyrene and other plastic microparticles to undergo photooxidative degradation, changing their surface chemistry and potentially making them more likely to adsorb or release chemical pollutants. Understanding these weathering processes is important for predicting the environmental behavior and toxicity of microplastics.

2020 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Dark Reduction of Hg(II) by Dissolved Organic Matter Derived from Aging Microplastics: Mechanisms and Implications

Researchers discovered that dissolved organic matter released from photoaged microplastics can convert toxic mercury into a less reactive form through dark chemical reactions. The organic matter from aged polystyrene, PVC, and polylactic acid reduced over 30% of mercury within 10 minutes, outperforming natural river organic matter. The findings suggest that as microplastic pollution increases in waterways, it may significantly alter mercury cycling in aquatic environments.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of polystyrene microplastics on the volatilization, photodegradation and photoinduced toxicity of anthracene and pyrene in freshwater and artificial seawater

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics altered the volatilization, photodegradation, and photoinduced toxicity of anthracene and pyrene in both freshwater and seawater, with effects varying by pollutant type and driven by changes in reactive oxygen species generation.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations