Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Adsorption Behavior of Diclofenac on Polystyrene and Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) Microplastics: Influencing Factors and Adsorption Mechanism

Researchers investigated the adsorption of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac onto polystyrene and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) microplastics, finding that PS adsorbed more diclofenac than PBAT due to differences in surface chemistry and hydrophobicity. Understanding how pharmaceuticals bind to different plastic types is essential for assessing their combined environmental risks in aquatic systems.

2023 Langmuir 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of three common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to microplastics

This study investigated the adsorption of three common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) onto microplastics, finding that polymer type, drug properties, and environmental conditions all influenced sorption capacity. The results suggest microplastics can act as vectors for pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic environments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 178 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Diclofenac Sodium by Aged Degradable and Non-Degradable Microplastics: Environmental Effects, Adsorption Mechanisms

Researchers found that UV aging of both polystyrene and biodegradable PBAT microplastics increased their surface oxidation and hydrophilicity, enhancing their capacity to adsorb the pharmaceutical pollutant diclofenac sodium through surface interaction and pore-filling mechanisms.

2022 Toxics 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of Pharmaceuticals on Microplastics

This review examines the sorption of pharmaceuticals onto microplastics in aquatic environments, analyzing how polymer type, particle size, surface area, polarity, and pharmaceutical properties such as log Kow and pKa influence sorption behavior, and how weathering and aging processes increase sorption capacity by altering microplastic surface chemistry and topography.

2022 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Alter the Distribution and Toxic Potentialof Typical Pharmaceuticals in Aqueous Solutions: Mechanisms and TheoryCalculations

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with pharmaceuticals carrying different functional groups (naproxen, bezafibrate, norfloxacin, ibuprofen) using sorption experiments and density functional theory calculations. Sorption capacity varied by pharmaceutical type (highest for naproxen), with hydrophobic partitioning and π-π interactions as key mechanisms, altering the aquatic risk profile of each drug.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Effect of Aging on Physicochemical Properties and Size Distribution of PET Microplastic: Influence on Adsorption of Diclofenac and Toxicity Assessment

Researchers studied how environmental aging changes the physical and chemical properties of PET microplastics and their ability to absorb pharmaceutical pollutants. They found that aged microplastics had rougher surfaces and greater capacity to adsorb diclofenac, a common pain medication found in waterways. The study suggests that weathered microplastics may act as more effective carriers of pharmaceutical contaminants in the environment compared to fresh plastics.

2023 Toxics 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Alter the Distribution and Toxic Potential of Typical Pharmaceuticals in Aqueous Solutions: Mechanisms and Theory Calculations

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with common pharmaceutical drugs in water and found that the plastics can absorb these medications, altering their distribution and potentially increasing environmental toxicity. The strength of absorption varied depending on the chemical properties of each drug, with some binding much more readily to microplastics than others. The findings highlight that microplastics may act as carriers for pharmaceutical pollutants, complicating efforts to assess water contamination risks.

2025 ACS ES&T Water 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of particle size and solution chemistry on Triclosan sorption on polystyrene microplastic

Researchers characterized how the antimicrobial compound triclosan adsorbs onto polystyrene microplastics, finding that sorption is driven primarily by hydrophobic interactions and is highest at acidic pH, while temperature, ionic strength, and co-occurring heavy metals had little effect — suggesting polystyrene acts as an environmental carrier for triclosan.

2019 Chemosphere 206 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of selected pharmaceutical compounds on polyethylene microplastics: Roles of pH, aging, and competitive sorption

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics adsorb pharmaceutical compounds including an antibiotic, a beta-blocker, and an antidepressant, with sorption capacity influenced by pH, aging of the plastic, and competition between compounds — raising concern about microplastics as carriers of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments.

2022 Chemosphere 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of two common antihypertensive drugs onto polystyrene microplastics in water matrices

Researchers examined the sorption of two common antihypertensive drugs onto polystyrene microplastics in water, finding that microplastics can adsorb pharmaceutical compounds and may serve as vectors for drug transport in aquatic environments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative study on the adsorption and desorption behaviors of quinolone pollutants on polystyrene microplastics of different particle sizes

Researchers compared how polystyrene microplastics of different particle sizes adsorb and release the antibiotic pollutants ciprofloxacin and gatifloxacin. The study found that smaller microplastics had higher adsorption capacity due to greater surface area and charge, and that pollutants were harder to release from smaller particles, suggesting that fine microplastics may more effectively transport antibiotic contaminants through aquatic environments.

2025 Environmental Technology & Innovation 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption characteristics of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride on polystyrene microplastics in freshwater

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics adsorb the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in freshwater, comparing pristine and aged particles. They found that aging treatment, particularly Fenton oxidation over seven days, significantly enhanced the adsorption capacity of the microplastics for the antibiotic. The study suggests that as microplastics weather in the environment, they may become increasingly effective carriers of pharmaceutical contaminants in water systems.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of micropollutants onto realistic microplastics: Role of microplastic nature, size, age, and NOM fouling

Researchers measured adsorption of diclofenac and metronidazole onto four realistic microplastic types under varying size, aging, and natural organic matter conditions, finding that aged MPs with smaller size and without NOM fouling showed the highest pollutant adsorption capacity.

2021 Chemosphere 165 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics and microplastics on the availability of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in aqueous environment

Researchers found that nanoplastics and microplastics can sorb pharmaceuticals and personal care products in water, with smaller nanoplastics showing 1-2 orders of magnitude stronger sorption than microplastics, potentially reducing the bioavailability of these contaminants in aquatic environments.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction between Microplastics and Pharmaceuticals Depending on the Composition of Aquatic Environment

This review examines how aquatic environmental conditions — including dissolved organic matter, salinity, pH, and temperature — influence the adsorption and desorption of pharmaceuticals onto microplastic surfaces, showing that water composition significantly affects the extent to which microplastics act as vectors for drug contaminants.

2022 Microplastics 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of pharmaceuticals on the surface of microplastics

Researchers tested the ability of four common microplastic types to adsorb nine pharmaceutical compounds frequently found as water pollutants. They found that sorption involved both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, but under natural environmental conditions the binding was relatively weak. The study suggests that while microplastics can interact with pharmaceutical residues, their role as carriers of these contaminants in real aquatic environments may be more limited than previously assumed.

2020 Chemosphere 169 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent effect of microplastics on toxicity and fate of diclofenac in two algae

This study investigated how different sizes of polystyrene microplastics affect two species of algae and interact with the common pharmaceutical pollutant diclofenac. Researchers found that the smallest microplastics caused the most significant growth inhibition in algae, and the combined presence of microplastics and diclofenac could alter how each pollutant behaves. The findings underscore how microplastics can change the toxicity and environmental fate of other water contaminants.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the sorption of pharmaceuticals to microplastics through in-situ experiments in New York City waterways

Researchers deployed eight types of plastic and glass test materials in New York City waterways for 28 days to measure in-situ pharmaceutical adsorption (atenolol, sulfamethoxazole, ibuprofen), finding that surface area was the primary determinant of adsorption regardless of polymer type. Rapid biofouling and biofilm formation on all samples appeared to be the dominant factor controlling sorption capacity, with high-surface-area straw and bag fragments showing the highest mass-based adsorption coefficients.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of a diverse range of pharmaceuticals to polyethylene microplastics in wastewater and their desorption in environmental matrices

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics adsorb pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater and release them in environmental and biological fluids. They found that drug adsorption depended heavily on the compound's charge and hydrophobicity, with cationic and hydrophobic drugs adsorbing most readily. The study suggests that microplastics could act as vectors for certain pharmaceuticals, potentially transporting them through waterways and into organisms.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of antibiotics on microplastics

This study examined the adsorption of antibiotics onto different microplastic types, finding that sorption capacity depended on both the antibiotic's chemical properties and the plastic's surface characteristics, with implications for antibiotic transport in aquatic environments.

2018 Environmental Pollution 1314 citations