Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The phenomenological mass transfer kinetics model for Sr2+ sorption onto spheroids primary microplastics

Researchers developed a novel film-pore mass transfer (FPMT) kinetic model to describe strontium ion sorption onto polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride microplastics, quantifying both external and internal diffusion processes to better understand radionuclide transport in plastic-contaminated environments.

2019 Environmental Pollution 122 citations
Article Tier 2

Unfolding the interaction of radioactive Cs and Sr with polyethylene-derived microplastics in marine environment

A mesocosm study examined how radioactive cesium and strontium interact with pristine, radiation-exposed, and marine-weathered polyethylene microplastics, finding that environmental aging—through biofilm formation and surface roughening—significantly increased the plastic particles' capacity to sorb radioactive contaminants.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Sorption kinetics, isotherms and molecular dynamics simulation of 17β-estradiol onto microplastics

Researchers investigated the adsorption of the endocrine disruptor 17-beta-estradiol onto three common microplastics using kinetic experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, finding that hydrophobic interactions drive sorption and that polymer type significantly influences adsorption capacity.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of triclosan onto different aged polypropylene microplastics: Critical effect of cations

This study examined how sodium and calcium ions in water influence the adsorption of triclosan onto aged polypropylene microplastics, finding that cation type and concentration altered sorption behavior through electrostatic interactions. The results have implications for understanding how microplastics transport antimicrobial contaminants in natural water systems.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 192 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption behavior and mechanisms of thallium to microplastics

Researchers studied the adsorption of the highly toxic metal thallium onto polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene microplastics in fresh and seawater, finding polystyrene had the highest adsorption capacity through surface complexation, suggesting microplastics may act as vectors for thallium in aquatic environments.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights Into the Adsorption Behavior of Polyethylene Microplastics Towards Lead(II) Ions

Researchers investigated the adsorption behavior of lead(II) ions onto polyethylene microplastics in freshwater environments by systematically varying initial Pb(II) concentration, pH, and residence time, using scanning electron microscopy and other characterization methods to elucidate the interaction dynamics and sorption mechanisms between this common metal contaminant and microplastic surfaces.

2024 Environmental Quality Management
Article Tier 2

Comparative analysis of kinetics and mechanisms for Pb(II) sorption onto three kinds of microplastics

The sorption kinetics and mechanisms of lead (Pb(II)) onto three types of microplastics were compared to understand how plastic debris concentrates heavy metals in aquatic environments. The study found polymer-specific differences in sorption capacity and mechanism, with implications for how microplastics alter the distribution and bioavailability of lead in contaminated water.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 158 citations
Article Tier 2

A combined experimental and modeling study to evaluate pH-dependent sorption of polar and non-polar compounds to polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics

A combined experimental and modeling study assessed how pH affects the sorption of both polar and non-polar compounds to polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics, finding that pH significantly influenced sorption of ionizable pollutants. The results improve predictions of how microplastics accumulate and transport contaminants under varying environmental conditions.

2018 Environmental Sciences Europe 162 citations
Article Tier 2

First-time evaluation of 137Cs adsorption onto virgin PLA, PET, and PVC microplastics

Researchers tested how three common microplastics — PLA, PET, and PVC — absorb radioactive cesium-137 from water, finding that pH, temperature, and competing ions all affect how much cesium sticks to each plastic. This matters because microplastics can act as carriers for radioactive contaminants, potentially transporting them through aquatic environments.

2026 Chemical Engineering Journal Advances
Article Tier 2

Biofilm-enhanced adsorption of strong and weak cations onto different microplastic sample types: Use of spectroscopy, microscopy and radiotracer methods

Researchers used radiotracer, spectroscopy, and microscopy methods to show that biofilm-coated environmental plastics adsorb radioactive cesium and strontium — radionuclides associated with nuclear releases — though at rates much lower than natural sediments, confirming that plastics act as a minor but measurable sink for environmental radioactivity.

2019 Water Research 146 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic adsorption characteristics of bisphenol A: The roles of pH, metal ions, and suspended sediments

Researchers found that nanoplastics adsorb bisphenol A through electrostatic, pi-pi stacking, and hydrophobic interactions, with adsorption capacity influenced by pH, competing metal ions, and suspended sediments, highlighting nanoplastics as vectors for BPA transport in aquatic environments.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Initial data on adsorption of Cs and Sr to the surfaces of microplastics with biofilm

Researchers measured adsorption of radiocesium and radiostrontium onto weathered microplastics deployed in freshwater, estuarine, and marine environments, finding that distribution coefficients were approximately two to three orders of magnitude lower than for sediment reference values. Despite the lower adsorption, the buoyancy and mobility of plastics suggest they may still function as a significant radionuclide reservoir in aquatic systems.

2018 Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 130 citations
Article Tier 2

Unfolding the interaction of radioactive Cs and Sr with polyethylene-derived microplastics in marine environment

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics in the marine environment interact with radioactive cesium and strontium. They found that as microplastics age in seawater and develop biofilms, their ability to absorb these radioactive elements increases significantly. The study provides evidence that microplastics could act as previously unrecognized carriers of radioactive contamination in ocean environments.

2024 Discover Oceans 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption behaviour of tebuconazole on microplastics: kinetics, isotherms and influencing factors

Researchers investigated the adsorption of tebuconazole fungicide onto polyamide, polystyrene, and polypropylene microplastics, finding polyamide had the highest sorption capacity and that pH, salinity, and metal presence all significantly affected adsorption. The dominant mechanisms differed by polymer type, with electrostatic and hydrogen bonding governing polyamide and polypropylene while hydrophobic and intermolecular forces dominated polystyrene.

2022 Environmental Technology 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior and mechanism of 9-Nitroanthracene on typical microplastics in aqueous solutions

Researchers investigated the adsorption behavior of 9-Nitroanthracene, a toxic nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, onto polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics, finding that all three polymer types adsorbed the compound and that kinetics followed established sorption models.

2019 Chemosphere 121 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollutants Sorbed Onto Microplastics

This review summarizes research on the sorption of organic pollutants and metal ions onto microplastics, examining how polymer type, weathering degree, pH, and ionic strength influence sorption capacity and kinetics. It highlights increasing concern around antibiotic sorption onto microplastics due to enhanced bioavailability for ingesting organisms, and reviews Langmuir, Freundlich, and linear isotherm models used to characterize these interactions.

2022 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential of Adsorption of Diverse Environmental Contaminants onto Microplastics

Researchers assessed the ability of four common types of microplastics to adsorb hazardous environmental contaminants including dyes and heavy metals. They found that dyes were adsorbed through physical processes while heavy metal adsorption varied by plastic type, with polystyrene showing the highest capacity for certain metals. The study confirms that microplastics can act as vectors for diverse pollutants, potentially increasing the environmental mobility and bioavailability of toxic substances.

2022 Water 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Pb(II) uptake onto nylon microplastics: Interaction mechanism and adsorption performance

Researchers investigated how aged nylon microplastics adsorb lead(II) ions from water, finding that surface weathering increased adsorption capacity and that the process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The study clarifies the mechanism by which microplastics can act as vectors for heavy metal contamination in aquatic environments.

2019 Journal of Hazardous Materials 427 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of neutral organic compounds on polar and nonpolar microplastics: Prediction and insight into mechanisms based on pp-LFERs

Researchers measured adsorption of 18 neutral organic compounds on polar and nonpolar microplastics and found that polar microplastics such as polybutylene succinate and polycaprolactone showed greater adsorption capacity than nonpolar types, with hydrophobic partitioning dominating on all plastics and polar interactions providing additional uptake on polar polymers.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 70 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of microplastics as vectors of antibiotic contaminants via a molecular simulation approach

Researchers used computer simulations to study how microplastics interact with common antibiotics at the molecular level. They found that polystyrene microplastics had a stronger ability to adsorb antibiotics than polypropylene, and that aging of the plastic surfaces enhanced adsorption capacity. The study provides evidence that microplastics can serve as carriers for antibiotic pollutants in the environment, potentially spreading contamination further.

2025 Scientific Reports 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Kinetics and Size Effects on Adsorption of Cu(II), Cr(III), and Pb(II) Onto Polyethylene, Polypropylene, and Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastic Particles

Researchers investigated how copper, chromium, and lead ions adsorb onto polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET microplastic particles of different sizes. The study found that smaller microplastic particles had greater adsorption capacity for heavy metals, with lead showing the highest adsorption levels, particularly on PET particles, suggesting increased environmental risk when tiny microplastics and heavy metals coexist.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 57 citations
Article Tier 2

NaCl enhances cesium adsorption onto microplastics in seawater: A density functional theory perspective

Researchers used density functional theory (DFT) to investigate how sodium chloride (NaCl) in seawater enhances the adsorption of radioactive cesium onto microplastic surfaces, elucidating molecular-scale mechanisms by which coexisting ions modulate heavy metal-microplastic interactions.

2025 Emerging contaminants
Article Tier 2

Microplastics inhibit lead binding to sediment components: Influence of surface functional groups and charge environment

Researchers systematically investigated interactions among lead, polystyrene microplastics, and sediment components to understand how microplastics affect heavy metal behavior in aquatic environments. The study found that polystyrene significantly inhibited lead adsorption to sediment by competing for binding sites, reducing lead uptake by up to 28%, which suggests that microplastics could increase the mobility of toxic metals in contaminated waterways.

2025 Water Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of three bivalent metals by four chemical distinct microplastics

Researchers measured the sorption of copper, cadmium, and lead onto four types of microplastic particles — including chlorinated PE, PVC, and two PE variants — finding that higher crystallinity and surface area drove greater metal adsorption, and that all four plastics had different capacities for each metal.

2020 Chemosphere 306 citations