Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Adsorption of some hazardous aromatic hydrocarbons by various pristine and heat-activated aged microplastics as potential pollutant carriers in aquatic environment

Researchers examined how pristine and heat-aged microplastics of four polymer types adsorb hazardous aromatic hydrocarbons, finding that aging significantly altered adsorption capacity. The results demonstrate that weathered microplastics may act as more effective pollutant vectors than pristine particles in aquatic environments.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the effect of different modified microplastics on the availability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Researchers investigated how weathering processes alter the ability of polyethylene microplastics to affect the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, finding that etching and UV aging increased surface oxygen groups, specific surface area, and pore volume. Free PAH concentrations decreased with increasing microplastic concentration for most hydrophobic PAHs, and UV aging only slightly altered sorption coefficients compared to pristine microplastics.

2019 Water Research 115 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics Weathering and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Mobilization

This study investigated how weathering of nanoplastics in seawater releases polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed to particle surfaces, demonstrating that nanoplastic degradation can mobilize toxic organic pollutants that were previously sequestered.

2023 ACS Nano 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption behaviors of petroleum on micro-sized polyethylene aging for different time in seawater

Researchers found that aging of polyethylene microplastics in seawater over 180 days progressively increased petroleum adsorption capacity, with surface oxidation and roughening from weathering creating more binding sites for hydrocarbon contaminants.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of benzo(a)pyrene and of a complex mixture of petrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons onto polystyrene microplastics

Researchers investigated the sorption of benzo(a)pyrene and a complex mixture of petrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons onto polystyrene microplastics in aquatic systems, quantifying how the hydrophobic nature and large surface area of microplastics facilitate PAH accumulation and potential vector transport.

2022 Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by microplastic films: Characterizing kinetics, isotherms, and impacts of sludge exposure

This study characterized the sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons onto microplastic films in sludge and wastewater systems, finding that MP type and surface properties strongly influence PAH binding capacity and may facilitate PAH transport and bioavailability in contaminated environments.

2025 Chemosphere
Article Tier 2

Sorption of organic compounds by aged polystyrene microplastic particles

Researchers tested the sorption of organic compounds by aged polystyrene microplastic particles and found that weathering increased their sorption capacity, meaning environmental aging makes microplastics more effective at accumulating and transporting pollutants.

2018 Environmental Pollution 558 citations
Review Tier 2

Wastewater-Derived Microplastics as Carriers of Aromatic Organic Contaminants (AOCs): A Critical Review of Ageing, Sorption Mechanisms, and Environmental Implications

This review examines how microplastics from wastewater treatment plants act as carriers for aromatic organic contaminants such as PAHs and pesticides. Researchers found that aging and biofilm formation on these microplastics enhance their ability to absorb and transport pollutants through the environment. The study highlights significant gaps in understanding real-world microplastic-contaminant interactions and calls for improved models to assess ecological exposure risks.

2025 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-water partitioning of two states halogenated PAHs: Solute and sol

This study examined how halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) partition between microplastics and water, finding that plastic type and contaminant chemistry both influence sorption behavior. Understanding how microplastics absorb and transport toxic chemicals is important for assessing the ecological risks they pose.

2021 Environmental Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into adsorption mechanisms of nitro polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on common microplastic particles: Experimental studies and modeling

Researchers investigated how nitro polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorb onto common microplastics, finding that the process is controlled by chemical adsorption and hydrophobic partitioning, with pollutant hydrophobicity being the dominant factor influencing adsorption capacity.

2023 Chemosphere 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed on polyethylene microplastics

Researchers investigated the photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed onto polyethylene microplastics under natural sunlight conditions, finding that PAH concentrations on microplastic surfaces decreased over time due to photodegradation. The study provides first data on the environmental fate of PAH-microplastic complexes under realistic solar irradiation.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Interaction between Microplastics, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Biofilms in Freshwater

Researchers investigated the adsorption of benzo(a)pyrene and pyrene by five microplastic types in freshwater over 3 and 30 days, finding that polypropylene was the most efficient adsorbent while polystyrene was the least efficient for benzo(a)pyrene. The study also examined how bacterial biofilms on microplastics, including pathogenic species such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, interact with PAH adsorption dynamics.

2020 Polycyclic aromatic compounds 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancement of photodegradation of polyethylene with adsorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under artificial sunlight irradiation

Researchers showed that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed onto polyethylene plastic act as photocatalysts that accelerate the photodegradation of the plastic in marine environments, increasing microplastic production from plastic waste contaminated with hydrophobic organic pollutants.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of sunlight aging on physicochemical properties and sorption capacities of environmental microplastics: implications for contamination by PAHs

Researchers studied how sunlight aging changes the physical and chemical properties of three common plastics -- polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene -- and their ability to absorb pollutants. They found that plastics exposed to outdoor sunlight for 69 days absorbed up to 3.5 times more of the carcinogenic compound pyrene compared to new plastics, likely due to surface changes from weathering. The findings suggest that older, weathered microplastics in the environment may accumulate harmful pollutants more readily than fresh plastic particles.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic sorption on microbial degradation of halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water

Researchers investigated how microplastics act as carriers for halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HPAHs) in water and whether this sorption affects microbial degradation of these dioxin-like compounds. They found that microplastic-sorbed HPAHs had reduced bioavailability to degrading bacteria, potentially slowing natural breakdown of these toxic pollutants.

2022 Environmental Pollution 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Laboratory Measurements of Pyrene and Acenaphthene Partition into Microplastics

Laboratory experiments measured how quickly and extensively three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — pyrene, phenanthrene, and acenaphthene — sorb onto pellets of five common plastic types. PAH uptake had half-lives of around 10 hours, with polypropylene absorbing the most and PVC absorbing the least. The results confirm that microplastics act as concentration vectors for toxic organic pollutants in the environment, and that weathering and oxidation of plastic surfaces increases their capacity to carry these chemicals into aquatic food chains.

2024 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Polypropylene microplastics aging under natural conditions in winter and summer and its effects on the sorption and desorption of nonylphenol

Researchers found that naturally aged polypropylene microplastics, especially those weathered in summer, showed significantly enhanced sorption capacity for the pollutant nonylphenol compared to pristine microplastics, due to surface property changes from environmental aging.

2023 Environmental Research 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Change in adsorption behavior of aquatic humic substances on microplastic through biotic and abiotic aging processes

Researchers found that both UV irradiation and microbial aging of polyethylene microplastics significantly altered their surface chemistry, changing how aquatic humic substances adsorb onto the plastic surface and highlighting the importance of weathering state in assessing microplastic-contaminant interactions.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics aged in various environmental media exhibited strong sorption to heavy metals in seawater

Researchers aged six types of microplastics — including polyamide and PET — in different environments and then measured their adsorption of heavy metals in seawater, finding that aging consistently increased metal sorption capacity and that environmental medium during aging strongly influenced the degree of surface modification.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 178 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of fluoranthene and phenanthrene by virgin and weathered polyethylene microplastics in freshwaters

Researchers examined how virgin and weathered polyethylene microplastics adsorb fluoranthene and phenanthrene in freshwater, finding that weathering significantly increased adsorption capacity and that water chemistry influenced contaminant uptake.

2022 Chemosphere 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Research Progress on The Adsorption and Their Mechanisms of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil by Microplastics

This review examines how microplastic characteristics including polymer type, particle size, density, and aging state influence their adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil, along with how environmental factors such as pH and organic matter modify this interaction. The authors provide a theoretical framework for understanding the combined pollution risk of microplastics and PAHs in terrestrial ecosystems.

2024 Academic Journal of Science and Technology
Article Tier 2

Sorption of Pyrene and Fluoranthene onto Common Microplastics Under Freshwater Conditions

Researchers investigated how two common polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pyrene and fluoranthene, bind to six different types of microplastic polymers under freshwater conditions. The study found significant differences in sorption capacity across polymer types, confirming that microplastics can act as vectors for transporting harmful organic pollutants through aquatic environments.

2026 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Microplastics, PAHs and biofilms in freshwater

Researchers tested how five common plastic types adsorb polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in freshwater and serve as surfaces for microbial biofilm growth. All five plastics were able to bind PAHs and support biofilms, suggesting microplastics can concentrate toxic compounds and harbor bacteria in freshwater environments.

2019 Scientific Repository of the National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge)
Article Tier 2

Surface functional groups determine adsorption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products on polypropylene microplastics

Researchers found that surface functional groups on aged polypropylene microplastics determined their adsorption capacity for pharmaceuticals and personal care products, with aged plastic showing much higher pollutant uptake than fresh plastic due to weathering-induced surface changes.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 157 citations