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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of Humic Acid and Natural Sunlight Irradiation on the Behaviour of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in the Aqueous Environment
ClearZinc oxide nanoparticles dissolution and toxicity enhancement by polystyrene microplastics under sunlight irradiation
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics dramatically increased the sunlight-induced dissolution of zinc oxide nanoparticles, enhancing the release of toxic zinc ions and reactive oxygen species in aquatic environments.
Dissolved Organic Matter Enhanced the Aggregation and Oxidation of Nanoplastics under Simulated Sunlight Irradiation in Water
Dissolved organic matter was found to enhance both the aggregation and photooxidation of nanoplastics under simulated sunlight in water, with humic substances promoting particle clustering and accelerating surface oxidation. The results indicate that organic matter content in natural waters strongly influences nanoplastic fate and transformation.
Photodegradation of Microplastics by ZnO Nanoparticles with Resulting Cellular and Subcellular Responses
Researchers extracted both zinc oxide nanoparticles and microplastics from a commercial sunscreen and found that the zinc oxide accelerated the breakdown of microplastics under simulated sunlight. However, the degradation products proved toxic to human skin cells at certain concentrations, causing oxidative stress and DNA damage. This suggests that while sunscreen ingredients may break down microplastics, the resulting fragments could pose their own health risks.
Retention of ZnO nanoparticles onto polypropylene and polystyrene microplastics: Aging-associated interactions and the role of aqueous chemistry
Researchers investigated how zinc oxide nanoparticles attach to polypropylene and polystyrene microplastics under different water chemistry conditions. They found that UV-aged microplastics retained significantly more nanoparticles than fresh ones, and water pH and natural organic matter influenced the interaction. The study suggests that weathered microplastics in the environment are more effective at carrying metal contaminants, potentially increasing ecological risks.
Effects of photoaged polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics on the extracellular aggregation and intracellular accumulation of ZnO nanoparticles to algae
When microplastics weather in the environment under UV sunlight, they become more chemically reactive and change how they interact with other pollutants. This study found that photoaged polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics had a stronger ability to bind zinc oxide nanoparticles than fresh plastic, and that this enhanced binding altered how the zinc nanoparticles affected green algae — generally reducing zinc uptake into algal cells but increasing overall ecological risk. The findings highlight that the environmental "aging" of microplastics is not merely cosmetic — it fundamentally changes their behavior as carriers of other toxic substances in aquatic ecosystems.
A convenient strategy for mitigating microplastics in wastewater treatment using natural light and ZnO nanoparticles as photocatalysts: A mechanistic study
Researchers showed that zinc oxide nanoparticles can break down polypropylene microplastics using natural sunlight as an energy source. The photocatalytic process generated free radicals that attacked and degraded the plastic polymer chains. This solar-powered approach could provide a low-cost, practical method for removing microplastics from wastewater before it is discharged into the environment.
Exposure Order to Photoaging and Humic Acids Significantly Modifies the Aggregation and Transformation of Nanoplastics in Aqueous Solutions
Researchers discovered that the order in which nanoplastics are exposed to sunlight and natural organic matter significantly changes how they clump together and behave in water. Nanoplastics aged by sunlight before encountering humic acids behaved differently than those exposed in the reverse order. This finding is important for predicting how nanoplastics actually move and persist in real-world water environments.
Natural Organic Matter Stabilizes Pristine Nanoplastics but Destabilizes Photochemical Weathered Nanoplastics in Monovalent Electrolyte Solutions
This study examined how sunlight weathering and natural organic matter coatings change the behavior of nanoplastics in water. Researchers found that organic matter stabilizes fresh nanoplastics but actually destabilizes sun-weathered ones, meaning aged nanoplastics in natural waters may clump together and settle differently than expected, affecting where they end up in aquatic environments.
Reducing Gut Dissolution of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles by Secondary Microplastics with Consequent Impacts on Barnacle Larvae
This study examined how microplastics interact with zinc oxide nanoparticles from sunscreen and affect barnacle larvae development. Sun-weathered (secondary) microplastics reduced the toxic effects of zinc oxide by limiting how much zinc dissolved in the gut, while fresh microplastics had little effect. The research shows that interactions between microplastics and other common pollutants in the ocean can change their combined impact on marine life in complex ways.
Effects of humic substances on the aqueous stability of cerium dioxide nanoparticles and their toxicity to aquatic organisms
Researchers investigated how humic substances affect the stability and toxicity of cerium dioxide nanoparticles in water, finding that humic substances stabilized nanoparticle suspensions and reduced toxicity to algae and crustaceans while paradoxically increasing toxicity to zebrafish embryos, highlighting that nanoparticle risk varies substantially across trophic levels.
Toward Understanding the Environmental Risks of Combined Microplastics/Nanomaterials Exposures: Unveiling ZnO Transformations after Adsorption onto Polystyrene Microplastics in Environmental Solutions
Researchers investigated how zinc oxide nanomaterials adsorb onto polystyrene microplastics in aquatic environments, finding significant chemical transformations of ZnO into zinc-sulfide and zinc-phosphate species, revealing that microplastics can alter the environmental fate of co-occurring nanomaterials.
Photodegradation Controls of Potential Toxicity of Secondary Sunscreen-Derived Microplastics and Associated Leachates
Researchers studied how sunlight breaks down microplastics from sunscreen products and whether this makes them more or less toxic. They found that sunlight aging caused chemical changes on the plastic surfaces and released harmful compounds into the water, increasing toxicity to aquatic organisms. This is relevant because sunscreen microplastics are commonly washed into oceans and lakes, where sun exposure could make them more dangerous over time.
The regulation of the environmental behavior of NPs by humic acid: A review
This review examines how humic acid, a naturally occurring substance in soil and water, interacts with nanoplastics in the environment. Researchers found that humic acid significantly influences how nanoplastics behave, move, and exert toxic effects, suggesting that traditional toxicity assessments based on pure nanoplastics alone may not reflect real-world exposure conditions.
Toxic Effects and Mechanisms of Silver and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Zebrafish Embryos in Aquatic Ecosystems
Researchers tested the toxic effects of silver and zinc oxide nanoparticles on zebrafish embryos in natural water environments. They found that both nanoparticle types caused acute toxicity, increased oxidative stress, apoptosis, and autophagy, though toxicity was lower in natural water compared to pure water due to environmental interactions. The study suggests that the complex components in natural water may transform nanoparticles in ways that reduce but do not eliminate their harmful effects on aquatic organisms.
Single and Combined Toxicity Effects of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: Uptake and Accumulation in Marine Microalgae, Toxicity Mechanisms, and Their Fate in the Marine Environment
This review examined the toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles to marine microalgae, which form the base of the aquatic food chain. Researchers found that toxicity mechanisms include the release of zinc ions, direct interaction with algae cells, and generation of reactive oxygen species, and the study highlights the need for more research on combined pollutant exposures that better reflect real-world conditions.
Photo-oxidation of Micro- and Nanoplastics: Physical, Chemical, and Biological Effects in Environments
This review examines how sunlight breaks down micro- and nanoplastics in the environment, changing their surface properties and making them interact differently with pollutants and living organisms. Sun-aged plastic particles can become more toxic to aquatic life and affect soil microbe communities, but many questions remain about these processes under real-world conditions.
Influence of aqueous chloride and bromide ions on bisphenol A degradation efficiency with zinc oxide nanoparticles
This study tested how chloride and bromide ions in wastewater affect the photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) using zinc oxide nanoparticles. Halide ions significantly reduced degradation efficiency, highlighting that real wastewater chemistry can undermine the effectiveness of nanoparticle-based water treatment systems.
The Influence of Mechanochemical Synthesis Method on Photodegradability Characteristics of Hydroxyapatite/Zinc Oxide Composite
Researchers synthesized a ZnO/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite via mechanochemical attrition milling and evaluated its photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange dye under UV irradiation, finding that compositions with 75% ZnO and 25% ZnO showed the best combined adsorption and photodegradation performance.
Humic acid can mitigate or magnify nanoplastic toxicity to freshwater microalgae: what are the factors driving these contrasting effects?
Researchers explored how humic acid, a natural organic substance found in water, interacts with nanoplastics to either reduce or amplify their toxicity to freshwater microalgae. The study found that humic acid can mitigate nanoplastic toxicity by reducing surface hydrophobicity and improving particle dispersion, but this protective effect diminishes at low humic acid concentrations.
Green Synthesis of Photocatalytically Active ZnO Nanoparticles Using Chia Seed Extract and Mechanistic Elucidation of the Photodegradation of Diclofenac and p-Nitrophenol
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were synthesized using a green method with chia seed extract as a capping agent, producing quasi-spherical particles less than 30 nm with hexagonal crystal structure. The ZnO NPs showed photocatalytic activity for degrading environmental pollutants, providing an eco-friendly synthesis route to a widely used nanomaterial.
Insights into the Photoaging Behavior of Microplastics: Environmental Fate and Ecological Risk
This review examines how sunlight ages microplastics in the environment, breaking them into smaller pieces and changing their surface chemistry in ways that make them more toxic and more likely to carry other pollutants. Sun-aged microplastics release dissolved organic matter that can harm aquatic life, and their roughened surfaces attract more bacteria and chemical contaminants. Since most microplastics in nature have been exposed to sunlight, their real-world health risks may be higher than studies using fresh lab plastics suggest.
Visible Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Environmental Pollutants Using Zn-Doped NiO Nanoparticles
This study developed zinc-doped nickel oxide nanoparticles that can break down environmental pollutants using visible light. The researchers found that adding zinc improved the material's ability to absorb light and degrade harmful substances, suggesting a potential tool for cleaning up contaminated water and soil.
Removal of Nano-Zinc Oxide (nZnO) from Simulated Waters by C/F/S—Focusing on the Role of Synthetic Coating, Organic Ligand, and Solution Chemistry
This study examined how to remove nano-zinc oxide particles from water using coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation processes. As engineered nanoparticles increasingly enter water supplies, effective removal methods are needed to protect drinking water quality.
Effects of interactions between natural organic matter and aquatic organism degradation products on the transformation and dissolution of cobalt and nickel-based nanoparticles in synthetic freshwater
The dissolution and surface transformation of cobalt and nickel-based nanoparticles in the presence of natural organic matter and biological degradation products were characterized, showing that these interactions significantly alter nanoparticle behavior and toxicity. The findings underscore the importance of environmental matrix composition in nanoparticle risk assessment.