Papers

20 results
|
Article Tier 2

Different partition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon on environmental particulates in freshwater: Microplastics in comparison to natural sediment

This study investigated how the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon phenanthrene partitions between water and three common plastic types, finding that polymer composition strongly influences sorption behavior. The results help explain how microplastics act as vectors for toxic organic compounds in aquatic environments.

2017 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 233 citations
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

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

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

Effects of microplastics on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons migration in Baiyangdian Lake, northern China: Concentrations, sorption–desorption behavior, and multi-phase exchange

Researchers measured microplastics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Baiyangdian Lake, China, and studied how microplastics affect the movement of these toxic chemicals between water, sediment, and air. They found that microplastics can adsorb PAHs and alter their transfer between environmental compartments, increasing deposition from air to water and volatilization from sediment to water. The study suggests microplastics may act as carriers that redistribute harmful organic pollutants within lake ecosystems.

2024 Environmental Pollution 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative evaluation of sorption kinetics and isotherms of pyrene onto microplastics

This study compared how quickly and how much pyrene — a common polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon — is absorbed by different types of microplastics in aquatic environments. The results indicate that microplastic polymer type significantly affects how well it concentrates and potentially transports toxic organic chemicals.

2017 Chemosphere 354 citations
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

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

Sorption of polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCs) to microplastics

Researchers investigated the sorption of five polyhalogenated carbazoles onto polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride microplastics, finding that sorption capacity varied with plastic type and carbazole structure, indicating that microplastics can act as vectors for these emerging halogenated organic contaminants.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 79 citations
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

Interactions between polyaromatic hydrocarbons and microplastics: Environmental mechanisms and ecotoxicological impacts

This review examines how microplastics interact with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a class of toxic organic pollutants found throughout the environment. Evidence indicates that microplastics can adsorb these pollutants and alter their availability and toxicity to living organisms, with effects depending on plastic type, pollutant properties, and environmental conditions. The study identifies critical gaps in long-term exposure research and calls for standardized testing methods to better assess these combined risks.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Polyciclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water and Microplastics

Researchers measured five cancer-linked PAH compounds in water samples and found that microplastics can bind these chemicals, potentially concentrating them. This suggests microplastics may act as carriers of carcinogenic compounds in drinking water and aquatic environments.

2021 Scientific Repository of the National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge)
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

The implications of water extractable organic matter (WEOM) on the sorption of typical parent, alkyl and N/O/S-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by microplastics

This study explored how dissolved organic matter in water affects the ability of microplastics to adsorb persistent organic pollutants like pesticides, finding that organic matter significantly influences microplastics' role as chemical carriers. The results have implications for understanding how microplastics transfer toxic chemicals through aquatic ecosystems.

2018 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 24 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

A comparative investigation of the sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to various polydisperse micro- and nanoplastics using a novel third-phase partition method

Researchers developed a novel third-phase partition method to measure sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons onto various micro- and nanoplastics, finding that particle size, polymer type, and surface area significantly influence pollutant adsorption capacity.

2022 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Partitioning of chemical contaminants to microplastics: Sorption mechanisms, environmental distribution and effects on toxicity and bioaccumulation

This review critically examines how chemical contaminants like persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals sorb onto microplastic surfaces in the environment. Researchers found that while microplastics can concentrate pollutants at levels far above surrounding water, the actual contribution of microplastics to contaminant transfer into organisms may be less significant than direct exposure from water and food. The study calls for more realistic experimental designs to clarify the true risk.

2019 Environmental Pollution 487 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to polystyrene nanoplastic

This study measured how polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) partition between polystyrene nanoplastics and water, finding that nanoplastics have very high sorption capacity for these toxic compounds. Because nanoplastics are small enough to be taken up by many organisms, their ability to concentrate PAHs significantly raises the potential hazard of nanoplastic ingestion.

2015 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 247 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental condition-dependent effects of aquatic humic substances on the distribution of phenanthrene in microplastic-contaminated aquatic systems

This study examined how varying concentrations and types of aquatic humic substances influence the distribution of phenanthrene between microplastics and water, finding that humic substance composition significantly modulates contaminant partitioning in microplastic-contaminated systems.

2024 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonal variation and spatial distribution of microplastics in tertiary wastewater treatment plant in South Korea

Researchers studied the sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) onto weathered polypropylene microplastics in seawater, finding that weathering increased surface area and adsorption capacity compared to pristine particles. This suggests environmental aging enhances microplastics as vectors for hydrophobic pollutants.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 66 citations