Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The Sword of Damocles: Microplastics and the molecular dynamics of sulfamonomethoxine revealed

Researchers studied how three types of microplastics interact with the antibiotic sulfamonomethoxine in water using molecular dynamics simulations and laboratory experiments. They found that polyamide had the strongest adsorption capacity while polyethylene terephthalate formed the most stable bonds with the antibiotic. The findings help explain how different microplastics can act as carriers for pharmaceutical pollutants in aquatic environments.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption behavior of oxytetracycline on microplastics and the influence of environmental factors in groundwater: Experimental investigation and molecular dynamics simulation

This study examined how oxytetracycline antibiotic adsorbs onto different types of microplastics and how environmental factors such as pH, salinity, and UV exposure influence sorption behavior. The findings indicate microplastics can act as vectors transporting antibiotics through aquatic environments.

2024 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of antibiotics on microplastics

This study examined the adsorption of antibiotics onto different microplastic types, finding that sorption capacity depended on both the antibiotic's chemical properties and the plastic's surface characteristics, with implications for antibiotic transport in aquatic environments.

2018 Environmental Pollution 1314 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of sulfamethoxazole onto six types of microplastics

This study investigated the sorption of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole onto six types of microplastics, finding that sorption capacity depended on polymer type and that polyamide showed the highest uptake.

2019 Chemosphere 329 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

Adsorption of tetracyclines onto polyethylene microplastics: A combined study of experiment and molecular dynamics simulation

The adsorption of three tetracycline antibiotics (TC, CTC, and OTC) onto polyethylene microplastics was studied in aqueous solution through a combination of batch experiments and computational modeling. Results showed that hydrophobic interactions and surface properties of PE microplastics drive tetracycline adsorption, contributing to antibiotic accumulation on environmental plastic debris.

2020 Chemosphere 201 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption mechanism of cefradine on three microplastics: A combined molecular dynamics simulation and density functional theory calculation study

Using computer simulations, researchers studied how the antibiotic cefradine attaches to three common types of microplastics (polyamide, polyethylene, and polypropylene). Hydrogen bonding was the main force driving antibiotic attachment to polyamide, while weaker forces dominated for the other plastics. This helps explain how microplastics can carry antibiotics through water environments, potentially contributing to antibiotic resistance that threatens human health.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

The fate and risk of microplastic and antibiotic sulfamethoxazole coexisting in the environment

Researchers investigated sulfamethoxazole antibiotic adsorption onto polyamide microplastics and found that pH significantly influenced uptake, with adsorbed antibiotics more readily released in natural water than ultrapure water, posing environmental risks.

2022 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 29 citations
Article Tier 2

The sorption kinetics and isotherms of sulfamethoxazole with polyethylene microplastics

The sorption of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole onto polyethylene microplastics was well described by pseudo-second-order kinetics and Freundlich isotherms, with the process controlled by partitioning into the polymer matrix. The study demonstrates that microplastics can accumulate antibiotics from seawater, raising concerns about contributing to antibiotic resistance through environmental spread of these compounds.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 278 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Macrolide Antibiotics and a Metabolite onto Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polyethylene Microplastics in Aquatic Environments

Researchers studied how four macrolide antibiotics and a metabolite adsorb onto polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene microplastics in water. They found that antibiotic adsorption followed a linear model, with PET showing higher adsorption capacity than polyethylene. The study suggests that microplastics in aquatic environments may serve as carriers for antibiotics, potentially affecting how these pharmaceutical pollutants are distributed in water systems.

2024 Antibiotics 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption properties of tylosin on four different microplastics

This study tested the sorption of the antibiotic tylosin onto four types of microplastics, finding that sorption capacity varied significantly by plastic type, with implications for how microplastics may transport antibiotics through aquatic environments.

2018 Chemosphere 415 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the adsorption of ibuprofen onto polyethylene microplastics using molecular dynamic simulation

Researchers used molecular dynamics simulations combined with laboratory experiments to study how ibuprofen adsorbs onto polyethylene microplastics in water. The study found that van der Waals forces dominate the interaction, with microplastics achieving an adsorption capacity of 0.41 mg/g for ibuprofen, suggesting that microplastics can act as carriers for pharmaceutical pollutants in aquatic environments.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of antibiotic clarithromycin adsorption potential on microplastics

Researchers investigated the adsorption potential of the antibiotic clarithromycin onto various microplastic types under controlled laboratory conditions, examining how surface properties and environmental factors influence pharmaceutical-microplastic interactions. The study found that microplastics can adsorb clarithromycin, raising concern about microplastics acting as vectors for antibiotic transport and spread in aquatic environments.

2024 Global NEST Journal
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms of microplastics sorption of antibiotics and impacts on aquatic ecosystems for sustainable development goals

This review examines how microplastics serve as carriers for antibiotics in aquatic ecosystems through sorption mechanisms including hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic forces, and chemical bonding. The study found that environmental factors like pH, salinity, and organic matter affect how antibiotics bind to microplastics, while weathering processes can transform microplastics into nanoplastics that potentially increase pollutant mobility.

2025 Discover Environment 1 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

Adsorption of antibiotics on different microplastics (MPs): Behavior and mechanism

Researchers investigated how four common microplastic types adsorb three antibiotics, finding that adsorption follows pseudo-second-order kinetics and Freundlich isotherms, with polymer type and antibiotic structure influencing sorption capacity and mechanism.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 82 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
Article Tier 2

Sorption of antibiotics onto aged microplastics in freshwater and seawater

Aged microplastics were found to sorb antibiotics from fresh and saltwater, with aging processes altering the surface properties of the plastic and increasing antibiotic binding capacity in some cases. The adsorption of antibiotics onto aged microplastics could facilitate their transport and delivery to aquatic organisms, potentially contributing to antibiotic resistance in environmental bacteria.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 273 citations
Article Tier 2

Desorption of sulfamethoxazole from polyamide 6 microplastics: Environmental factors, simulated gastrointestinal fluids, and desorption mechanisms

Researchers examined the adsorption of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) onto polyamide 6 microplastics and the desorption behavior under different environmental conditions including simulated seawater, gastric fluid, and intestinal fluid, finding that desorption was significantly higher in gastrointestinal fluids than in aqueous environments. The results suggest that organisms ingesting antibiotic-loaded polyamide microplastics may experience higher internal antibiotic exposure than previously estimated.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 18 citations
Article Tier 2

New insights into adsorption mechanism of pristine and weathered polyamide microplastics towards hydrophilic organic compounds

Adsorption of four hydrophilic organic compounds including antibiotics sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin onto pristine and weathered polyamide microplastics was studied, finding that weathering introduced oxygen-containing surface groups that significantly altered adsorption capacity and mechanisms. The results improve predictions of how microplastics transport co-occurring pollutants in aquatic environments.

2022 Environmental Pollution 40 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

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

Adsorption–Desorption Behaviors of Enrofloxacin and Trimethoprim and Their Interactions with Typical Microplastics in Aqueous Systems

Researchers investigated how two common aquaculture antibiotics, enrofloxacin and trimethoprim, adsorb to and desorb from polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene microplastics in water. They found that adsorption followed multilayer patterns driven by physical interactions including hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces, with PS and PVC showing higher adsorption capacity than PE. The study highlights how microplastics can serve as carriers for antibiotic pollutants in aquatic environments, with high salinity and pH changes promoting desorption and secondary contamination.

2025 Sustainability 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic insight into different adsorption of norfloxacin on microplastics in simulated natural water and real surface water

This study compared the adsorption of norfloxacin antibiotic onto microplastics in simulated natural water versus real surface water, finding that natural organic matter and competing ions in real water significantly reduced antibiotic uptake by microplastics.

2021 Environmental Pollution 81 citations