Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

UV and chemical aging alter the adsorption behavior of microplastics for tetracycline

Researchers found that UV and chemical aging significantly increased microplastics' capacity to adsorb tetracycline, with biodegradable PBAT showing more dramatic changes in surface properties and adsorption behavior compared to conventional plastics like polystyrene and polyethylene.

2022 Environmental Pollution 135 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging properties of polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics and their adsorption behavior of Cd(II) and Cr(VI) in aquatic environments

Researchers compared how polyethylene and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics age in the environment and how that aging affects their ability to absorb heavy metals like cadmium and chromium from water. They found that aging changed the surface chemistry of both plastic types, increasing their capacity to pick up these toxic metals. The findings matter because aged microplastics in the environment may concentrate and transport more pollutants than fresh plastic particles.

2024 Chemosphere 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of sequential UV-aging of microplastics on the fate of antibiotic (tetracycline) in riverine, estuarine, and marine systems

Researchers studied how sequential UV aging of polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene microplastics, which mimics natural weathering, affects their ability to adsorb the antibiotic tetracycline under different water chemistry conditions. They found that aged microplastics adsorbed significantly more tetracycline than pristine particles, with the effect varying by water type and plastic polymer. The study suggests that as microplastics weather in the environment, they may become increasingly effective at carrying antibiotic contaminants.

2025 Environmental Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Behavior and mechanisms of ciprofloxacin adsorption on aged Polylactic Acid and Polyethylene microplastics

This study examined how aged polylactic acid (PLA) and polyethylene (PE) microplastics absorb the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in water. Aging changes the surface chemistry of microplastics, affecting how they pick up and carry antibiotics — which could deliver higher doses of these drugs to organisms that ingest the particles.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitative assessment of interactions of hydrophilic organic contaminants with microplastics in natural water environment

Researchers quantified how microplastics interact with common antibiotic pollutants in natural water conditions, comparing virgin and environmentally aged polystyrene particles. They found that aged microplastics absorbed significantly more antibiotics than new ones due to increased surface area and chemical changes from weathering. The study suggests that as microplastics age in the environment, they become more effective at concentrating and transporting other harmful pollutants.

2022 Water Research 91 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption and desorption mechanisms of oxytetracycline on poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) microplastics after degradation: The effects of biofilms, Cu(II), water pH, and dissolved organic matter

Researchers found that biodegradation significantly increases the ability of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic oxytetracycline, and that the presence of copper ions further amplifies this adsorption, raising concerns about how degrading biodegradable plastics transport pharmaceutical contaminants.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Behavior and mechanisms of ciprofloxacin adsorption on aged polylactic acid and polyethlene microplastics

Researchers investigated how aging affects the adsorption of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin on polylactic acid and polyethylene microplastics, finding that aged plastics showed significantly enhanced adsorption capacity due to physicochemical surface changes.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Study on the Adsorption Behavior and Mechanism of Heavy Metals in Aquatic Environment before and after the Aging of Typical Microplastics

Researchers investigated the adsorption behavior and mechanisms of heavy metals by typical microplastics before and after environmental aging, finding that aging significantly alters microplastics' surface properties and capacity to bind metals such as cadmium and lead in aquatic systems.

2024
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

[Effects of Aging on the Cd Adsorption by Microplastics and the Relevant Mechanisms].

This study examined how aging affects the ability of microplastics — including polyethylene and polystyrene — to adsorb the heavy metal cadmium. Weathered microplastics showed different adsorption behavior than virgin particles, which has implications for how microplastics transport toxic metals through aquatic environments.

2022 PubMed 5 citations
Article Tier 2

UV-photoaging of degradable microplastics in atmospheric and wastewater: Surface changes and enhanced antibiotic interaction

When biodegradable microplastics spend time in wastewater rather than open air, they age much more aggressively — developing biofilms and oxidized surfaces that dramatically increase their ability to absorb antibiotics. This study found that wastewater-aged polybutylene succinate microplastics adsorbed 2.4 times more tetracycline than fresh plastic, and outperformed air-aged plastic by 40%, driven by biofilm chemistry and increased surface area. The implication is that wastewater treatment systems — rather than solving the microplastic problem — may be transforming biodegradable plastics into potent carriers for antibiotic resistance.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Enhanced adsorption of tetracycline on polypropylene and polyethylene microplastics after anaerobically microbial-mediated aging process

Researchers found that anaerobic microbial aging of polypropylene and polyethylene microplastics altered their surface structure and crystallinity, significantly enhancing their ability to adsorb the antibiotic tetracycline compared to unaged particles.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of the aged microplastics film and its sorption of antibiotics and bactericides in aqueous and soil compartments

Researchers simulated UV aging of polyethylene microplastics from black garbage bags and examined their sorption behavior toward antibiotics and bactericides in both water and soil. They found that UV-aged PE microplastics exhibited decreased crystallinity and hydrophobicity, significantly enhancing their capacity to adsorb these contaminants compared to virgin microplastics.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging and adsorption behavior of PP-MPs for methylene blue and tetracycline in unitary and binary systems

The study compared how fresh and UV-aged polypropylene microplastics adsorb methylene blue dye and tetracycline antibiotic in both single-contaminant and combined systems, finding that aging and additives meaningfully altered adsorption behavior.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of levofloxacin by ultraviolet aging microplastics

Researchers studied how ultraviolet aging changes the ability of common microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic levofloxacin. The study found that UV-aged polystyrene, polyamide, and polyethylene microplastics all showed significantly enhanced adsorption capacity compared to their unaged counterparts, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the environment may carry higher pollutant loads.

2023 Chemosphere 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging characteristics of degradable and non-biodegradable microplastics and their adsorption mechanism for sulfonamides

Researchers investigated how aging processes affect the ability of degradable and non-biodegradable microplastics to adsorb sulfonamide antibiotics in aquatic environments. The study found that aging increased the hydrophilicity and polarity of microplastics, boosting the adsorption capacity of polylactic acid by up to 3.18 times, suggesting that weathered microplastics may pose greater ecological risks as carriers of co-existing contaminants.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviors and mechanisms of antibiotic norfloxacin on degradable and nondegradable microplastics

Researchers investigated how degradable and nondegradable microplastics adsorb the antibiotic norfloxacin, comparing polybutylene succinate with conventional plastics to understand the environmental behavior and interaction mechanisms between these co-occurring pollutants.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 215 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effect of Aging on Adsorption of Tetracycline by Microplastics and the Mechanisms].

Researchers aged polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics under UV-254 irradiation and analyzed changes in color, surface morphology, and functional groups, finding that UV aging altered the physical and chemical properties of both MPs and significantly affected their adsorption capacity and mechanism for the antibiotic tetracycline.

2022 PubMed 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of Cu(II) and Cr(VI) on aged microplastics in antibiotics-heavy metals coexisting system

Researchers investigated how antibiotics affect the adsorption of copper and chromium onto aged polystyrene and PVC microplastics, finding that antibiotic co-contamination alters heavy metal binding behavior on weathered plastics in aqueous environments.

2021 Chemosphere 169 citations
Article Tier 2

Tetracycline adsorption trajectories on aged polystyrene in a simulated aquatic environment: A mechanistic investigation

Researchers found that aging of polystyrene microplastics in simulated aquatic environments progressively altered their surface properties and enhanced tetracycline antibiotic adsorption over time, with pseudo-second-order kinetics best describing the process, highlighting how weathered microplastics may increase antibiotic transport in aquatic systems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Heavy metal-mediated adsorption of antibiotic tetracycline and ciprofloxacin on two microplastics: Insights into the role of complexation

This study investigated how heavy metals copper and cadmium affect the adsorption of antibiotics tetracycline and ciprofloxacin onto polyamide and polyvinyl chloride microplastics. Heavy metals enhanced antibiotic adsorption through surface complexation, with copper promoting stronger binding than cadmium due to its greater complexation ability.

2022 Environmental Research 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Aged microplastics enhance their interaction with ciprofloxacin and joint toxicity on Escherichia coli

Researchers found that aged microplastics showed enhanced adsorption of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin compared to pristine particles, and that their combined exposure produced greater toxicity to E. coli at the molecular level than either pollutant alone.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 39 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
Article Tier 2

Interfacial interactions of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and malachite green, tetracycline in aqueous environments

This study examined how UV aging changes the surface properties of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and how those changes affect their ability to adsorb pollutants like malachite green and tetracycline. Researchers found that aged microplastics showed increased adsorption capacity, and the co-presence of copper ions further influenced these interactions in aqueous environments.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 13 citations