Papers

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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

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

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

Surface functional groups determine adsorption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products on polypropylene microplastics

Researchers found that surface functional groups on aged polypropylene microplastics determined their adsorption capacity for pharmaceuticals and personal care products, with aged plastic showing much higher pollutant uptake than fresh plastic due to weathering-induced surface changes.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 157 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

Adsorption of a Mixture of Daily Use Pharmaceuticals on Pristine and Aged Polypropylene Microplastics

This study examined polypropylene microplastics as carriers for a mixture of daily-use pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and other compounds under simulated environmental conditions. Polypropylene microplastics adsorbed all tested pharmaceuticals, with adsorption capacity and kinetics varying by compound, confirming that environmental microplastics can act as vectors concentrating multiple pharmaceutical contaminants simultaneously.

2024 Environments 5 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

Interactive effects of microplastics and selected pharmaceuticals on red tilapia: Role of microplastic aging

Researchers compared how aged versus virgin polystyrene microplastics interact with the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole and the beta-blocker propranolol in red tilapia. They found that aged microplastics, which have rougher surfaces from UV weathering, adsorbed more pharmaceuticals and altered their bioavailability to the fish. The study demonstrates that environmental aging of microplastics changes their capacity to carry and release pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic systems.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 135 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

Aging microplastics enhances the adsorption of pharmaceuticals in freshwater

Researchers found that aging microplastics through photo-oxidation significantly increases their ability to adsorb pharmaceutical compounds from freshwater compared to virgin particles. Among the drugs tested, fluoxetine showed the highest adsorption, binding to all aged microplastic types at rates up to 99%. The study highlights that environmentally weathered microplastics may act as more effective carriers of pharmaceutical pollutants in freshwater ecosystems than previously assumed.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of aging on adsorption behavior of polystyrene microplastics for pharmaceuticals: Adsorption mechanism and role of aging intermediates

Photo-Fenton-accelerated aging of polystyrene microplastics was found to shift the dominant adsorption mechanism for pharmaceuticals from hydrophobic/π-π interactions in pristine PS to electrostatic and hydrogen bonding in aged PS, while high concentrations of aging intermediates suppressed adsorption capacity. The study reveals how environmental weathering fundamentally changes how microplastics interact with pharmaceutical pollutants.

2019 Journal of Hazardous Materials 392 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption behavior and mechanism of hydrophilic organic chemicals to virgin and aged microplastics in freshwater and seawater

UV-accelerated aging of polystyrene and PVC microplastics increased surface oxidation and introduced microcracks, and aged MPs showed significantly increased adsorption of the hydrophilic antibiotic ciprofloxacin compared to virgin MPs. The findings demonstrate that even hydrophilic organic chemicals can accumulate on aged microplastics, expanding the range of compounds that microplastics may carry and deliver to organisms.

2018 Environmental Pollution 1012 citations
Article Tier 2

Desorption of pharmaceuticals from pristine and aged polystyrene microplastics under simulated gastrointestinal conditions

Researchers investigated how pharmaceuticals desorb from pristine and aged polystyrene microplastics under simulated stomach and intestinal conditions of marine organisms. The study found that pharmaceutical release was higher in gut conditions due to intestinal components enhancing solubility, while aging of microplastics actually suppressed desorption by strengthening electrostatic bonds. Risk assessment indicated that microplastic-associated pharmaceuticals posed relatively low risks to organisms overall.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 163 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the adsorption of a diverse range of pharmaceuticals to virgin and aged poly (ethylene terephthalate) microplastics in different environmental matrices

Researchers studied the adsorption of a mixture of pharmaceuticals — including anti-inflammatory drugs diclofenac and ketoprofen, anti-hypertensive valsartan, and four antibiotics — onto both virgin and aged PET microplastics, providing the first multi-drug adsorption assessment on PET under realistic environmental conditions.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Pharmaceuticals and micro(nano)plastics in the environment: Sorption and analytical challenges

This review examines how pharmaceutical residues and micro- and nanoplastics interact in water environments, finding that microplastics can adsorb medications and alter their environmental behavior. Factors like plastic type, surface area, and biological film growth all influence these interactions, but very few studies have been conducted under real-world conditions. The authors highlight persistent analytical challenges and the need for field-based research to understand actual risks.

2024 Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviour and interaction of organic micropollutants with nano and microplastics – A review

This review analyzed the adsorption behavior of organic micropollutants — including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals — onto nano- and microplastics, finding that adsorption is governed by pollutant hydrophobicity, particle surface area, and aging state, and that microplastics can act as vectors delivering co-contaminants to aquatic organisms.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 216 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

Multi-mechanistic adsorption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products on oxidized microplastics: Oxidation processes, mechanisms, and environmental implications

Researchers reviewed how weathering and oxidation change microplastic surfaces, making them better at absorbing pharmaceuticals and personal care product chemicals from water. The modified surfaces attract these contaminants through multiple chemical forces, meaning aged microplastics in the environment act as enhanced carriers for drug and cosmetic pollutants.

2025 Chemical Engineering Journal Advances
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

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

Mechanisms of Sorption of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products to Microplastics

This thesis investigated how pharmaceutical and personal care product chemicals sorb onto high-density polyethylene microplastic fragments, and how this affects the combined toxicity to aquatic organisms. Microplastics can carry drug compounds and personal care chemicals from wastewater into aquatic environments, concentrating pollutant exposure for marine organisms.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of levofloxacin hydrochloride on non‐degradable microplastics aging with H 2 O 2

This study explored how microplastics act as carriers for the antibiotic levofloxacin in water, finding that chemically aged plastics (simulating environmental weathering) adsorb significantly more of the drug than fresh plastics. All three plastics tested — PVC, polystyrene, and PET — showed increased drug-binding capacity after aging, primarily through pore-filling. This matters because microplastics in rivers and lakes don't just pose a physical hazard; they can pick up and concentrate pharmaceutical contaminants, potentially delivering them to aquatic organisms at higher doses.

2025 Water Environment Research 1 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

Sorption and desorption of selected pharmaceuticals by polyethylene microplastics

Researchers tested the sorption and desorption of three pharmaceuticals — sulfamethoxazole, propranolol, and sertraline — onto polyethylene microplastics in water, finding that all three compounds sorbed to the plastic surface and were only partially released over time. The results suggest microplastics can act as vectors for pharmaceutical compounds in aquatic environments, potentially affecting their bioavailability.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 284 citations