Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Adsorption mechanism of As(III) on polytetrafluoroethylene particles of different size

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE/Teflon) microparticles of different sizes were tested for their ability to adsorb arsenic (As(III)) from water, with smaller particles showing greater adsorption capacity due to higher surface area. The results suggest that PTFE microplastics in arsenic-contaminated environments could transport this toxic metalloid and influence its bioavailability.

2019 Environmental Pollution 161 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of arsenite to polystyrene microplastics in the presence of humus

Polystyrene microplastics adsorb arsenic more effectively when humic acid is present in the water, because the organic matter forms a coating on the plastic surface that attracts more arsenic ions. This finding suggests that microplastics can serve as vectors for the toxic metalloid arsenic in natural water environments.

2020 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Arsenic adsorption by carboxylate and amino modified polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics: kinetics and mechanisms

Researchers found that functionalized polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics can adsorb arsenic from water, with carboxylate-modified particles showing higher capacity than amino-modified ones, and that salinity and humic acids inhibit adsorption, confirming microplastics can alter arsenic behavior in ecosystems.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of typical natural organic matter on microplastics in aqueous solution: Kinetics, isotherm, influence factors and mechanism

Researchers investigated humic acid adsorption onto PVC and PS microplastics, finding that pH, ion species, particle size, and surfactants significantly influenced adsorption capacity through mechanisms including halogen bonding, hydrogen bonding, and pi-pi interactions.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 131 citations
Article Tier 2

Interface adsorption characteristics of microplastics on multiple morphological arsenic compounds

Researchers studied how polystyrene and PET microplastics adsorb different forms of arsenic, a toxic element commonly found in contaminated water. They found that polystyrene had a much higher capacity to bind arsenic compounds than PET, and that the arsenic-loaded microplastics were more toxic to organisms than either pollutant alone. The study highlights that microplastics can act as carriers for toxic heavy metals, amplifying their environmental harm.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 18 citations
Article Tier 2

[Adsorption Characteristics of Arsenic on UV-aged Polypropylene Microplastics in Aqueous Solution].

This study examined how UV weathering (aging) changes the ability of polypropylene microplastics to adsorb arsenic from water, finding that aged plastic had rougher surfaces and more oxygen-containing groups, which enhanced arsenic adsorption. Environmental factors like pH and dissolved organic matter also influenced how much arsenic stuck to the plastic. Because aged microplastics bind more arsenic, they could carry this toxic heavy metal into aquatic food webs more effectively than pristine plastic particles.

2026 PubMed
Article Tier 2

New insights into the distribution and interaction mechanism of microplastics with humic acid in river sediments

Researchers found that microplastics and humic acids interact significantly in river sediments, with humic acid coating altering microplastic surface properties and affecting their distribution at different sediment depths, influencing the environmental fate and pollutant-carrying capacity of microplastics.

2022 Chemosphere 25 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

Insights into the characteristics, adsorption and desorption behaviors of microplastics aged with or without fulvic acid

Researchers investigated how fulvic acid, a key component of dissolved organic matter, influences the aging, adsorption, and desorption behavior of microplastics under UV radiation, finding that water environmental factors significantly alter the surface properties and contaminant-binding capacity of aged microplastics.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Joint effect of nanoplastics and humic acid on the uptake of PAHs for Daphnia magna: A model study

This study examined how humic acid (a form of dissolved organic matter) modifies the bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aquatic organisms exposed to nanoplastics, finding that humic acid significantly altered the joint effects of the two complex matrices. The results indicate that natural organic matter plays an important role in regulating nanoplastic-associated chemical uptake.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 56 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

Adsorption of PFAS onto secondary microplastics: A mechanistic study

Researchers investigated how PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) adsorb onto secondary microplastics under different water chemistry conditions. Results showed that PFAS adsorption depended on both the chemical structure of the PFAS compound and the ionic composition of the water. These findings help explain how microplastics in real-world aquatic environments can concentrate and transport PFAS, a group of persistent health-relevant pollutants.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics on the adherence of coexisting background organic contaminants to natural organic matter in water

Researchers examined how microplastics affect the binding of organic contaminants (PCBs and hydroxy PCBs) to humic acid in water, finding that microplastics caused contaminants to migrate from humic acid to plastic surfaces. This redistribution effect could alter the bioavailability and environmental risk of co-occurring organic pollutants.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic Insights into PFAS Adsorption on Microplastics: Effects of Contaminant Properties and Water Chemistry

Researchers investigated how two widely detected PFAS compounds, PFOS and PFOA, adsorb onto five common types of microplastics in aquatic environments. The study found that contaminant properties and water chemistry significantly influence adsorption behavior, confirming that microplastics can serve as carriers for PFAS transport in waterways.

2026 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

The effects of environmental conditions on the enrichment of antibiotics on microplastics in simulated natural water column

Researchers investigated how environmental ageing conditions affect the ability of microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic tetracycline, finding that pH, ionic strength, and temperature had little effect, but humic acid significantly reduced adsorption capacity. The reduction was attributed to humic acid covering plastic surfaces, altering hydrophobicity, and competing for adsorption sites via electrostatic repulsion.

2018 Environmental Research 121 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into interactions of polystyrene microplastics with different types and compositions of dissolved organic matter

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics interact with different types of dissolved organic matter, finding that fulvic acid and humic acid adsorb onto microplastics through distinct mechanisms, which influences microplastic transport and transformation in the environment.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of perfluoroalkyl substances on polyamide microplastics: Effect of sorbent and influence of environmental factors

Researchers studied how perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of persistent industrial chemicals, bind to polyamide microplastics in water. They found that smaller microplastic particles absorbed dramatically more PFAS than larger ones, and that water chemistry conditions like pH and salinity influenced the process. The findings suggest microplastics can concentrate harmful chemicals and potentially increase human and wildlife exposure to PFAS in contaminated environments.

2022 Environmental Research 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Co-Existing Microplastics on Adsorption–Desorption Behavior of Perfluorooctanoic Acid in Soil: Co-Sorption and Mechanism Insight

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) adsorption in agricultural soil, finding that irregularly shaped microplastics augmented PFOA adsorption through altered functional groups, with kinetics following a quasi-second-order model and isotherms fitting the Freundlich model, indicating microplastics can modify PFOA environmental behavior in agroecosystems.

2025 Agronomy
Article Tier 2

A novel mechanism study of microplastic and As co-contamination on indica rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers used pot experiments and computational chemistry to study how polystyrene and polytetrafluoroethylene microplastics affect arsenic uptake in rice plants. They found that both types of microplastics interacted with rice root compounds and influenced how much arsenic the plants absorbed from contaminated soil. The study reveals a previously unknown mechanism by which microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could increase toxic metal accumulation in a major food crop.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 141 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPs) and humic acid influenced by aging of MPs

Researchers examined how aging affects polypropylene microplastic interactions with humic acid, finding that aged microplastics with increased surface oxygen groups showed stronger adsorption of humic acid compared to pristine particles, altering their environmental behavior.

2022 Water Research 145 citations