Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Biofilms Enhance the Adsorption of Toxic Contaminants on Plastic Microfibers under Environmentally Relevant Conditions

Researchers grew natural biofilms on plastic microfibers under realistic environmental conditions and measured changes in adsorption of two toxic contaminants, finding that biofilm formation substantially increased the fibers' capacity to bind pollutants, amplifying their potential as chemical vectors.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 248 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm formation strongly influences the vector transport of triclosan-loaded polyethylene microplastics

Researchers found that biofilm formation on polyethylene microplastics strongly influences their role as vectors for triclosan transport, with biofouled microplastics showing altered pollutant sorption capacity and different toxicity effects on Daphnia magna.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Exaggerated interaction of biofilm-developed microplastics and contaminants in aquatic environments

Researchers found that biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces exaggerates the adsorption and vector capacity for co-contaminants in aquatic environments, with biofilm-coated MPs showing substantially higher uptake of contaminants than pristine MPs.

2023 Chemosphere 3 citations
Review Tier 2

Research progress on the role of biofilm in heavy metals adsorption-desorption characteristics of microplastics: A review

This review examines how biofilm formation on microplastics in aquatic environments modifies their properties and changes how they adsorb and release heavy metals. Researchers found that biofilm-covered microplastics behave significantly differently than bare microplastics, which has important implications for understanding the combined environmental risks of microplastics and heavy metal contamination.

2023 Environmental Pollution 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Monitoring of biofilm development and physico-chemical changes of floating microplastics at the air-water interface

Researchers monitored biofilm development on floating polyethylene microplastics and found that biofilm growth increased particle density, metal adsorption capacity (52% higher for lead), and surface cracking, but did not cause the particles to sink even after 12 weeks.

2023 Environmental Pollution 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Biofilms on Trace Metal Adsorption on Plastics in Freshwater Systems

Researchers incubated polypropylene and PET plastic debris in three freshwater bodies for 45 days to develop biofilms, then conducted batch adsorption experiments, finding that biofilm formation significantly increased trace metal adsorption capacity -- particularly for lead -- with adsorption well described by the Langmuir model.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of biofilms on the adsorption behavior of nine organic emerging contaminants on microplastics in field-laboratory exposure experiments

Researchers studied how natural biofilms that form on microplastics in lake water affect the adsorption of nine emerging organic contaminants. The study found that biofilm colonization on microplastic surfaces can significantly alter how these particles interact with pollutants, in some cases increasing and in others decreasing contaminant uptake compared to clean microplastics.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of humic acids on the adsorption of Pb(II) ions onto biofilm-developed microplastics in aqueous ecosystems

Biofilm-coated PVC microplastics adsorbed Pb(II) ions at 3.57 mg/g, nearly double the capacity of virgin PVC at 1.85 mg/g, while humic acid increased Pb adsorption on virgin PVC through complexation but decreased adsorption on biofilm-coated PVC by shielding sorption sites.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm on microplastics in aqueous environment: Physicochemical properties and environmental implications

This review examines how bacteria and other microorganisms form sticky films called biofilms on microplastic surfaces in water. These biofilms change how microplastics move through the environment and increase their ability to absorb pollutants like heavy metals, pesticides, and antibiotics. Biofilm-coated microplastics may also carry harmful bacteria, making them a greater potential health risk than clean microplastic particles.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 353 citations
Article Tier 2

Colonization characteristics and surface effects of microplastic biofilms: Implications for environmental behavior of typical pollutants

This review examines how bacteria colonize microplastic surfaces in water, forming biofilms that change how the plastics behave in the environment. These biofilms alter the surface properties of microplastics and affect how they absorb and transport heavy metals and other pollutants. Understanding biofilm formation on microplastics is important because it can make the particles more dangerous by concentrating toxic substances that could eventually enter the food chain.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of biofilm on metal adsorption behavior and microbial community of microplastics

Researchers found that biofilm development on polystyrene microplastics enhanced their ability to adsorb copper and lead more than UV aging alone, with biofilm altering both the adsorption mechanisms and microbial community composition on the plastic surfaces.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 125 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Biofouling on the Sorption of Organic Contaminants by Microplastics

Researchers studied how biofilm formation on microplastics affects their ability to absorb organic contaminants in aquatic environments. They found that as biofilms grew over 5 to 15 days on plastic surfaces, the sorption of hydrophilic compounds like methylene blue increased, while hydrophobic compound sorption was less affected. The study suggests that biofouling changes the surface chemistry of microplastics in ways that may alter how they transport different pollutants through water systems.

2024 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid Physicochemical Changes in Microplastic Induced by Biofilm Formation

Researchers studied how biofilm formation rapidly changes the physical and chemical properties of microplastics over a two-week period. The study found significant two-way interactions between microbial communities and plastic surfaces, with biofilm colonization altering surface properties of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, while the type of polymer influenced which microbial communities developed.

2020 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 159 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Biofilm Formation on the Fate and Potential Effects of Microplastic in the Aquatic Environment

Researchers reviewed how biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces affects the fate and potential ecological effects of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that biofilms alter particle buoyancy, surface chemistry, and interactions with organisms.

2017 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 1318 citations
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

Biofilm facilitates metal accumulation onto microplastics in estuarine waters

This study demonstrated that biofilm colonization on microplastics in estuarine waters significantly enhanced their sorption of metals such as copper and zinc, suggesting biofouling changes the contaminant-carrying capacity of plastic debris.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 241 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of heavy metals by biofilm-coated microplastics in aquatic environments: Mechanisms, isotherm and kinetic processes, and influencing factors

This review synthesizes research on how biofilms—microbial coatings that naturally form on microplastics in water—alter the particles' ability to absorb heavy metals like lead, copper, and cadmium, finding that biofilmed microplastics generally adsorb more metal than bare plastic and that electrostatic forces and surface complexation are the dominant mechanisms. This matters because microplastics coated in both biofilm and toxic metals may deliver a double dose of contamination to organisms that ingest them. The review identifies key gaps, including how competitive metal mixtures and shifting biofilm composition over time affect this combined pollution risk.

2026 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Effect of polyethylene microplastic biodegradation by algae on their sorption properties and toxicity

Researchers studied how algal biodegradation of high-density polyethylene microplastics changes their ability to adsorb UV filter chemicals. The study found that biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces altered their sorption properties through multiple mechanisms, and that high concentrations of these microplastics inhibited algal growth and reduced protein and chlorophyll levels.

2024 Chemosphere 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake of Pb(II) onto microplastic-associated biofilms in freshwater: Adsorption and combined toxicity in comparison to natural solid substrates

This study examined how biofilms that form on microplastics in freshwater lakes affect the absorption of lead, a toxic heavy metal. Researchers found that biofilm-coated microplastics absorbed significantly more lead than bare plastic particles, and the combination of lead and microplastic biofilms was more toxic to water fleas than either pollutant alone.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 179 citations
Article Tier 2

Metal leaching from plastics in the marine environment: An ignored role of biofilm.

Researchers investigated how biofilms on marine plastics influence metal leaching, finding that microbial colonization significantly alters the release rates of metal additives from common polymers, representing a previously underappreciated pathway for heavy metal transfer from plastic debris into marine ecosystems.

2023 Environment international
Article Tier 2

Biofilms retard the desorption of benzo(a)pyrene from polyethylene pellets in the marine environment

This field study examined how biofilms growing on polyethylene plastic pellets in marine environments affect the release of the toxic carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene. Biofilms significantly slowed desorption of this compound from plastic surfaces, meaning biofouling affects how plastics transport pollutants in the ocean.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 2 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

Biofilm enhances the copper (II) adsorption on microplastic surfaces in coastal seawater: Simultaneous evidence from visualization and quantification

Researchers found that biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces significantly enhanced copper adsorption in coastal seawater, with visual and quantitative evidence showing that biofilm-coated microplastics accumulate substantially more copper than uncoated particles, increasing their potential as vectors for metal contaminant transport.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption behavior of Pb(II) onto polyvinyl chloride microplastics affects the formation and ecological functions of microbial biofilms

Researchers found that lead sorption onto PVC microplastics significantly affected microbial biofilm formation and ecological functions, with lead-enriched microplastics altering biofilm community structure and metabolic activities in aquatic systems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations