Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Studying the combined influence of microplastics’ intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics on their weathering behavior and heavy metal transport in storm runoff

Researchers found that the weathering behavior and heavy metal uptake of microplastics in stormwater depended on both intrinsic polymer properties — such as crystallinity — and extrinsic surface conditions like oxidation and sediment attachment, with secondary microplastics showing greater lead and zinc adsorption than primary microplastics.

2022 Environmental Pollution 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Partitioning of heavy metals in sediments and microplastics from stormwater runoff

Researchers studied how heavy metals distribute between sediment particles and microplastics in stormwater runoff. UV-weathered microplastics absorbed significantly more heavy metals than new plastic, competing with sediments for metal uptake. This matters because microplastics in stormwater can transport concentrated heavy metals from urban areas into rivers and lakes, creating a combined pollution problem.

2023 Chemosphere 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the adsorption behavior of Zn(II) on UV-aged PET and PP microplastics: kinetic and isotherm analyses

This study examined how UV aging changes the ability of PET and polypropylene microplastics to adsorb zinc from water. Researchers found that UV exposure over 30 days increased surface roughness and oxygen-containing functional groups on the plastics, significantly enhancing their capacity to bind zinc ions, which suggests that weathered microplastics in the environment may carry higher concentrations of heavy metals.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of dynamic interaction between aging microplastics and heavy metal ions under different hydrodynamic environments

This study investigated how weathered microplastics interact with lead in water under different flow conditions and found that aged microplastics absorb 34% more lead than fresh ones. The aging process creates rough surfaces and new chemical groups on the plastic that help capture heavy metals, but fast-moving water can knock the metals loose again. These findings matter because they show that weathered microplastics in rivers and oceans can act as carriers for toxic heavy metals, potentially bringing them into the food chain.

2025 Journal of Water Process Engineering 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of particle size and aging on heavy metal adsorption by polypropylene and polystyrene microplastics under varying environmental conditions

This study found that smaller and weathered microplastics absorb significantly more lead and copper from water than larger or newer particles. Since microplastics in the real world are constantly aging and breaking into smaller pieces, they may become increasingly effective at concentrating toxic metals that can then enter the food chain and potentially affect human health.

2024 Chemosphere 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Study on the Adsorption Behavior and Mechanism of Heavy Metals in Aquatic Environment before and after the Aging of Typical Microplastics

Researchers investigated the adsorption behavior and mechanisms of heavy metals by typical microplastics before and after environmental aging, finding that aging significantly alters microplastics' surface properties and capacity to bind metals such as cadmium and lead in aquatic systems.

2024
Article Tier 2

Plastic litter fate and contaminant transport within the urban environment, photodegradation, fragmentation, and heavy metal uptake from storm runoff

Researchers studied how plastic litter in urban environments degrades into microplastics through sun exposure and examined the capacity of these fragments to absorb heavy metals from stormwater runoff. The study found that photodegradation of polyethylene and PET creates microplastic fragments that can then pick up heavy metal contaminants from urban runoff, compounding their environmental impact.

2022 Environmental Research 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Weathering on Microplastic Dispersibility and Pollutant Uptake Capacity

This study examined how environmental weathering changes the surface properties of microplastics and their ability to absorb co-pollutants, finding that weathered MPs bind more contaminants than pristine particles due to surface oxidation and cracking. The results emphasize that the environmental fate and toxicity of microplastics change dynamically as they age in the environment.

2022 ACS Environmental Au 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Pb(II) by UV-aged microplastics and cotransport in homogeneous and heterogeneous porous media

Researchers found that microplastics aged by UV sunlight are better at absorbing and carrying lead (a toxic heavy metal) through soil and water than fresh microplastics. The aging process changes the microplastic surface in ways that make it grab onto more lead, potentially spreading this toxic metal further through the environment. This is relevant to human health because aged microplastics in the real world may be transporting more heavy metals into water supplies and food-growing soil than previously thought.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 46 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Aging on the Cd Adsorption by Microplastics and the Relevant Mechanisms].

This study examined how aging affects the ability of microplastics — including polyethylene and polystyrene — to adsorb the heavy metal cadmium. Weathered microplastics showed different adsorption behavior than virgin particles, which has implications for how microplastics transport toxic metals through aquatic environments.

2022 PubMed 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the Adsorption of Copper/Zinc Ions over Aged Polyethylene and Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics

Researchers studied adsorption of copper and zinc ions onto aged polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics, finding that weathering substantially increases heavy metal adsorption capacity and that pH and ionic strength govern the adsorption process.

2023 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of Cu(II) on UV-aged polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene microplastics in aqueous solution

Researchers studied how UV aging changes the ability of PET and polypropylene microplastics to adsorb copper ions from water. UV exposure altered the surface properties of both plastics, increasing their capacity to bind heavy metals compared to pristine particles. The findings suggest that weathered microplastics in the environment may be more effective at concentrating toxic metals, potentially increasing ecological risks in contaminated waterways.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviour of accelerated UV aged PET and PP microplastics towards Pb(II) under varying pH, temperature, and salinity conditions

UV aging causes PET and PP microplastics to adsorb significantly more lead (Pb) from water, with the extent varying by pH, temperature, and salinity. This means weathered microplastics in the environment may carry greater toxic metal loads than virgin plastic, amplifying their hazard to ecosystems and human health.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics aged in various environmental media exhibited strong sorption to heavy metals in seawater

Researchers aged six types of microplastics — including polyamide and PET — in different environments and then measured their adsorption of heavy metals in seawater, finding that aging consistently increased metal sorption capacity and that environmental medium during aging strongly influenced the degree of surface modification.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 178 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of light irradiation on heavy metal adsorption onto microplastics

Researchers investigated how UV light irradiation of polypropylene microplastics affected their adsorption of lead (Pb) from water, finding that photo-weathering increased surface oxidation and significantly enhanced heavy metal adsorption capacity.

2021 Chemosphere 42 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

How aging microplastics influence heavy metal environmental fate and bioavailability: A systematic review

This systematic review found that environmental aging (UV, weathering) degrades microplastics into smaller particles with higher surface reactivity, increasing their capacity to adsorb heavy metals. These aged microplastic-heavy metal complexes bioaccumulate through the food chain, posing greater ecological and human health risks than either pollutant alone.

2025 Environmental Research 10 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of UV exposure on conventional and degradable microplastics adsorption for Pb (II) in sediment

Researchers studied how UV aging affects the ability of conventional polyethylene and degradable polylactic acid microplastics to adsorb lead ions from aquatic sediment. They found that UV aging increased the surface area and oxygen content of both plastic types, enhancing their capacity to adsorb heavy metals. The study suggests that weathered microplastics in the environment may be more effective carriers of heavy metal contamination than pristine particles.

2021 Chemosphere 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism analysis of heavy metal lead captured by natural-aged microplastics

The mechanism by which naturally aged microplastics capture lead (Pb(II)) from aqueous solution was investigated by comparing pristine and aged particles. Aged microplastics adsorbed more Pb(II) than pristine ones, with weathering-induced surface oxidation and increased oxygen-containing functional groups driving the enhanced metal capture capacity.

2020 Chemosphere 242 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of microplastic contamination by metals in a controlled environment: A risk to be considered

Researchers found that polyethylene terephthalate microplastics readily adsorb nickel, copper, and zinc metals in aquatic environments, demonstrating that degraded plastics can act as carriers for metal contaminants and pose compounded environmental risks.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced copper adsorption by polyamide and polylactic acid microplastics: The role of biofilm development and chemical aging

Researchers studied how chemical aging and biofilm growth on polyamide and polylactic acid microplastics changed their ability to absorb copper from water. Both processes significantly increased the surface area and chemical reactivity of the plastics, making them absorb substantially more copper than fresh microplastics. The study suggests that as microplastics age and develop biofilms in natural waterways, they become increasingly effective at concentrating heavy metals, potentially altering how these contaminants move through aquatic environments.

2025 Environmental Research 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Metals' Adsorption Onto Environmental Microplastics at Shoreline Sediments

Metal adsorption onto microplastics collected from shoreline environments was measured, revealing that weathered plastic particles accumulate heavy metals like lead, copper, and zinc. The results confirm that shoreline microplastics act as metal-enriched vectors that could pose risks to organisms ingesting them.

2025 X-Ray Spectrometry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Metal adsorption by microplastics in aquatic environments under controlled conditions: exposure time, pH and salinity

Scientists systematically varied pH, salinity, and exposure time during metal adsorption experiments on different microplastic types, finding that pH had the greatest influence on metal uptake, with higher pH favoring adsorption of copper, lead, and cadmium onto most tested polymers.

2020 International Journal of Environmental & Analytical Chemistry 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Simulated experimental investigation of microplastic weathering in marine environment

Researchers simulated microplastic weathering under marine conditions, finding that exposure to UV light, saltwater, and mechanical abrasion progressively degraded plastic surfaces, increased surface roughness, and enhanced the adsorption capacity of contaminants onto microplastic particles.

2022 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of metals on aged microplastics in intensive mariculture areas: Aggravating the potential ecological risks to marine organisms

Researchers used passive samplers in a subtropical mariculture area in China to measure how aged microplastics adsorb metals like iron, manganese, copper, and lead from seawater. They found that PVC microplastics had the highest metal adsorption capacity, and that aging increased the plastics' ability to accumulate metals on their surfaces. The findings suggest that weathered microplastics in aquaculture zones may concentrate toxic metals and pose elevated ecological risks to marine organisms.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations