Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Sulfide modifies physicochemical properties and mercury adsorption of microplastics

Researchers found that sulfide exposure modifies the surface chemistry and physicochemical properties of microplastics, significantly altering their capacity to adsorb mercury in sulfur-rich anaerobic environments like sewage and wastewater treatment plants.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Sulfur-Containing Persistent Free Radicals and Reactive Species on Photoaged Microplastics: Identification and the Formation Mechanism

Researchers identified sulfur-containing persistent free radicals and reactive species on photoaged microplastics for the first time, revealing that sulfur in the polymer composition promotes radical formation during UV aging with implications for environmental toxicity.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure of polyethylene microplastics affects sulfur migration and transformation in anaerobic system

This study found that polyethylene microplastics in anaerobic wastewater treatment systems increased the production of hydrogen sulfide, a corrosive and toxic gas, by 15-27%. The microplastics promoted the activity of sulfur-processing bacteria and altered the sulfur cycle within the treatment system. This is relevant because it shows microplastics can disrupt the wastewater treatment processes that protect water quality for downstream communities.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

The Impact of Bisphenol A on the Anaerobic Sulfur Transformation: Promoting Sulfur Flow and Toxic H2S Production

Researchers discovered that bisphenol A, a chemical commonly released from microplastics, promotes the production of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas in anaerobic wastewater environments. At environmentally relevant concentrations, the chemical increased hydrogen sulfide output by 14 to 32% by enhancing the activity of sulfur-cycling microorganisms. The findings suggest that microplastic-derived chemicals could worsen odor and corrosion problems in sewers and wastewater treatment facilities.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of sulfide-induced transformation of biodegradable and conventional microplastics: Mechanism and environmental fate

Researchers compared how sulfide chemicals in oxygen-free environments (like deep sediments) transform biodegradable plastics versus conventional plastics. They found that biodegradable PBAT microplastics were more easily changed by sulfides than conventional polyethylene, releasing more dissolved organic carbon and potentially different environmental effects. This suggests that so-called biodegradable plastics may not behave as safely as expected when they break down in certain natural environments.

2024 Water Research 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Sulfurization alters phenol-formaldehyde resin microplastics redox property and their efficiency in mediating arsenite oxidation

This study investigated how microplastics behave when exposed to sulfate-reducing (low-oxygen) environments, finding that phenol-formaldehyde resin microplastics become "sulfurized" — acquiring sulfur-containing chemical groups that alter their surface properties. The sulfurized particles showed reduced ability to oxidize arsenite, a toxic groundwater contaminant, compared to fresh microplastics. This matters because it reveals that microplastics in buried or waterlogged sediments undergo chemical transformations that change how they interact with other environmental pollutants.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

In situ formed sulfide–mediated aging of polystyrene microplastics and its impact on the fate of heavy metals in anaerobic digestion

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics undergo chemical transformation in anaerobic digesters through sulfide-mediated aging, and how this aging affects heavy metal adsorption. In the presence of sulfate, sulfide produced during digestion oxidized the PS surface, increasing its affinity for lead and cadmium and potentially affecting metal fate in sludge treatment.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Probing the aging process and mechanism of microplastics under reduction conditions

Researchers investigated how microplastics age under oxygen-depleted reduction conditions rather than the more commonly studied oxidative environments, finding that reduction conditions still alter microplastic surface properties and may affect their environmental behavior in anaerobic sediments and deep waters.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on microbial-mediated soil sulfur transformations in flooded conditions

This study examined how polystyrene and polyphenylene sulfide microplastics affect microbial-mediated sulfur transformations in flooded soils. Researchers found that microplastic contamination significantly altered the microbial community structure involved in sulfur cycling, suggesting that microplastics could disrupt important nutrient processes in waterlogged agricultural soils.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigations into the Reactivity of Microplastics in Water

Researchers investigated how hydroxyl radicals — naturally occurring reactive molecules in water — chemically transform microplastics, finding that radiation-generated radicals can break plastic bonds and alter their surface properties. Understanding microplastic chemical reactivity in water is important for predicting how environmental degradation changes their biological effects.

2021 ValpoScholar (Valparaiso University) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and environmental behaviors of microplastics through the lens of free radical

Researchers reviewed how free radicals influence the fate and environmental behavior of microplastics, including surface degradation, chemical release, and changes in crystallinity and water affinity. The study found that while free radicals can cause weathering and fragmentation of microplastics in the environment, high concentrations of free radicals with strong oxidation potential can also be harnessed to effectively degrade microplastic pollutants.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Transformation of polyester fibre microplastics by sulfate based advanced oxidation processes

Researchers investigated how sulfate-based advanced oxidation processes break down polyester microplastic fibers using light, heat, and ultrasound activation of persulfate. They found that while these treatments caused varying degrees of mass loss and surface degradation, incomplete degradation produced smaller fragments with altered surface chemistry. The study highlights the importance of understanding how wastewater treatment processes may transform rather than fully eliminate microplastics.

2024 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics on sulfate reduction in landfill leachate-saturated zone

Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics affect sulfate reduction in landfill leachate-saturated zones at varying temperatures. They found that polylactic acid microplastics dramatically increased hydrogen sulfide release compared to polystyrene, polyethylene, and PVC, with cumulative release at 55 degrees Celsius being 33 times higher than at 25 degrees. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics in landfills may paradoxically worsen certain pollution processes by enriching sulfate-reducing microbial communities.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Sulfide- and UV-induced aging differentially affect contaminant-binding properties of microplastics derived from commercial plastic products

Researchers found that sulfide- and UV-induced aging of microplastics differentially alter their ability to bind environmental contaminants, with sulfide treatment particularly enhancing chromium adsorption through thiol group formation and both processes increasing PET adsorption capacity through particle flattening.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 34 citations
Article Tier 2

The study of the antibacterial efficacy and antioxidative activity mediated by exogenous Hydrogen Sulfide against Aeromonas caviae- an antibiotic-resistant organism

This paper is not relevant to microplastics — it investigates using exogenous hydrogen sulfide gas to reverse antibiotic resistance in a soil bacterium (Aeromonas caviae), with no connection to plastic pollution.

2023
Article Tier 2

Investigating the impact of microplastics on sulfur mineralization in different soil types: A mechanism study

This study used soil microcosm experiments to investigate how polystyrene and polyphenylene sulfide microplastics affect sulfur mineralization in different soil types, revealing mechanisms by which MPs alter soil physicochemical properties and microbial activity.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial and physicochemical responses of anaerobic hydrogen-producing granular sludge to polyethylene micro(nano)plastics

Researchers found that polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics disrupted anaerobic hydrogen-producing granular sludge in a concentration- and size-dependent manner, inhibiting microbial activity and altering community structure, with nanoplastics causing greater harm than larger microplastic particles.

2022 Water Research 27 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of microplastics on sulfur REDOX processes in different soil types: A mechanism study

This study found that polystyrene and polyphenylene sulfide microplastics alter sulfur cycling processes in soil, changing how sulfur is converted between different chemical forms. The effects varied depending on soil type, with the most significant changes in sulfur availability occurring in black soil and paddy soil. Since sulfur is an essential nutrient for crops, microplastic contamination in farmland could subtly affect soil fertility and crop nutrition in ways that are not immediately visible.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Free radicals accelerate in situ ageing of microplastics during sludge composting

Researchers discovered that free radicals generated during sludge composting, including persistent free radicals and reactive oxygen species, significantly accelerate the aging and degradation of microplastics, revealing an overlooked abiotic transformation pathway.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation and fragmentation behavior of polypropylene and polystyrene in water.

Polypropylene and polystyrene retrieved from beaches were compared in their surface texture and degradation behavior when exposed to highly reactive sulfate radicals in water. Polypropylene showed more surface roughening than polystyrene, and both plastics produced degradation products at different rates. The study provides insight into how common plastics break down in aquatic environments into microplastic fragments.

2022 Research Square (Research Square) 7 citations
Article Tier 2

New Horizons in Micro/Nanoplastic-Induced Oxidative Stress: Overlooked Free Radical Contributions and Microbial Metabolic Dysregulations in Anaerobic Digestion

Researchers found that polypropylene micro- and nanoplastics generate persistent free radicals that produce harmful reactive oxygen species, reducing the effectiveness of anaerobic digestion (a common waste treatment process) by up to 50%. This means microplastic contamination could undermine waste treatment systems, potentially allowing more pollutants to reach waterways and increase human exposure.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Medium-Low Temperature Conditions Induce the Formation of Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals in Microplastics with Conjugated Aromatic-Ring Structures during Sewage Sludge Pyrolysis

Researchers found that incomplete pyrolysis of sewage sludge at medium-low temperatures left residual microplastics containing high levels of environmentally persistent free radicals, particularly from polystyrene and other aromatic-ring plastics. Increasing pyrolysis temperature reduced microplastic residues but required tradeoffs with other sludge treatment objectives.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Promoting degradation of polyamide-microplastic fibers using hydroxy radical

Researchers found that hydroxyl radicals generated in water can degrade polyamide microplastic fibers shed from synthetic textiles. This approach offers a potential chemical treatment pathway for removing synthetic fiber microplastics from laundry wastewater before they reach waterways.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Aging and Transformation of Polyethylene Microplasticsin UASB Effluents Treated with O3 and O3/H2O2: Physicochemical Changes and Toxicity Assessment

Researchers treated polyethylene microplastics in UASB wastewater reactor effluents with ozone and ozone/hydrogen peroxide, finding that both processes caused significant surface degradation and chemical transformation without increasing toxicity, suggesting safe application for wastewater treatment.

2025 Figshare