Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Chemical and photo-initiated aging enhances transport risk of microplastics in saturated soils: Key factors, mechanisms, and modeling

Researchers aged polystyrene microplastics using three oxidation methods and then studied their transport through saturated soil columns, finding that aging significantly increased surface hydrophilicity and mobility, with UV-activated persulfate oxidation producing the most mobile particles.

2021 Water Research 144 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of polymer age and soil aggregation on microplastic transport in soil erosion events

Researchers compared the transport rates of pristine and aged polystyrene microplastics during simulated rainfall events and quantified their incorporation into soil aggregates across multiple wet-dry cycles, providing the first empirical data on how surface roughness and hydrophobicity changes from weathering affect MP mobility in soil erosion.

2024
Article Tier 2

The transport of polystyrene microplastics in saturated porous media: Impacts of functional groups and solution chemistry

Researchers studied how surface chemistry and water conditions affect the movement of polystyrene microplastics through sand, comparing unmodified particles with those carrying carboxyl or amino groups that mimic natural aging. They found that factors like water acidity, salt concentration, and the type of chemical groups on the plastic surface all significantly influenced how far the particles traveled. The study provides important insights into how weathered microplastics may spread through soil and groundwater differently than fresh particles.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic aging on its detectability and physico-chemical properties in loess and sandy soil

This study compared fresh microplastics to aged particles collected from soil and found that weathering significantly changes their physical and chemical properties, including making them more mobile. Aged microplastics may behave very differently in the environment than the pristine particles typically used in laboratory studies.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic insights into the co-transport of microplastic degradation products in saturated porous media: The key role of microplastics-derived DOM

Researchers investigated the co-transport of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter (MP-DOM) and aged microplastics (AMPs) through saturated porous media under a range of environmentally relevant conditions. They found that as the degree of aging increased, changes in physicochemical characteristics of both AMPs and MP-DOM altered their transport behaviour, with MP-DOM playing a key role in the co-transport dynamics.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of physicochemical factors on transport and retention of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) in homogeneous and heterogeneous saturated porous media

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics move through different types of underground soil and sand formations. They found that smaller sand grains, higher salt concentrations, and the presence of calcium ions all increased microplastic retention, while mixed soil layers created preferential flow paths that allowed some particles to break through faster. The findings help explain how microplastics could potentially contaminate groundwater aquifers.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Differential aging processes of microplastics in paddy soil under wet-dry alternation: Insights into chemical structure alteration and dissolved organic matter formation

Researchers investigated the aging of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics in paddy soil during seven wet-dry alternation cycles over 98 days and found that cycling conditions accelerated chemical degradation and altered dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition. PE aged most rapidly, and the DOM produced differed structurally from that generated under constant conditions.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-impacts of cation type and humic acid on migration of polystyrene microplastics in saturated porous media

Researchers investigated how different cation types and humic acid concentrations affect the movement of polystyrene microplastics through saturated soil. The study found that aging accelerated microplastic migration under all conditions, while calcium ions and humic acid had complex interactive effects on microplastic transport and retention in porous media.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Behaviour and transport of microplastics under saturated flow conditions in sediments and soils

Researchers investigated the behavior and transport of microplastics under saturated flow conditions in sediments and soils, examining how physical and chemical properties of microplastic particles influence their mobility through porous geological media. The study addressed knowledge gaps in understanding subsurface microplastic transport relevant to groundwater contamination and the fate of microplastics deposited in terrestrial environments.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastic types and aging degrees on the transport behavior of marine oil spills

The transport behavior of microplastics through soil was found to vary significantly based on both the type of plastic polymer and the degree of aging (weathering), with aged particles generally showing different mobility than virgin ones. This means predictions of microplastic spread in soils must account for the weathering state of the particles.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Photoaging process and mechanism of four commonly commercial microplastics

Researchers exposed four common commercial microplastic types to UV light to simulate photoaging on soil surfaces and studied changes in their properties and chemical leachates. The study found that PVC and polystyrene underwent more dramatic physical and chemical changes than polypropylene and polyethylene, with aging creating cracks that facilitated the release of dissolved organic matter and chemical additives. These findings suggest that aged microplastics may pose greater environmental risks to soil and groundwater than pristine ones due to increased leaching of complex organic compounds.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 110 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of organic compounds by aged polystyrene microplastic particles

Researchers tested the sorption of organic compounds by aged polystyrene microplastic particles and found that weathering increased their sorption capacity, meaning environmental aging makes microplastics more effective at accumulating and transporting pollutants.

2018 Environmental Pollution 558 citations
Article Tier 2

UV-ageing effects on polystyrene microplastics surface polarity and transport in soils

Researchers found that UV sunlight exposure changes polystyrene microplastics by adding oxygen-containing groups to their surfaces, which makes the particles move differently through soil. The UV-aged particles became smaller and had altered surface charges, affecting how far they could travel through sand and soil. This matters because it shows that weathered microplastics in the environment behave differently than fresh ones, potentially reaching groundwater and other water sources more easily.

2025 Environmental Challenges 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Weathering on the Sorption Behavior and Toxicity of Polystyrene Microplastics in Multi-solute Systems

UV-irradiated and microbially degraded polystyrene microplastics showed altered sorption behavior for 4-methylbenzylidene camphor in multi-solute systems — with weathered MPs forming solute multilayers differently than pristine PS — highlighting how environmental aging changes the contaminant-carrying capacity of plastic particles.

2020 Water Research 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging Significantly Affects Mobility and Contaminant-Mobilizing Ability of Nanoplastics in Saturated Loamy Sand

Researchers studied how aging from UV light and ozone exposure affects the mobility of nanoplastics in soil and found that aged particles traveled much farther through the soil column than pristine ones. The aged nanoplastics also carried more chemical contaminants with them as they moved. The findings suggest that weathered nanoplastics in the environment may pose greater risks for groundwater contamination than previously assumed.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 424 citations
Article Tier 2

Behaviour and transport of microplastics under saturated flow conditions in sediments and soils

Researchers investigated the behaviour and transport of microplastics under saturated flow conditions in sediments and soils, examining how particle properties influence movement through porous media. The study aimed to improve understanding of subsurface microplastic fate and transport relevant to both soil and groundwater contamination.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Effects of solution chemistry and humic acid on transport and deposition of aged microplastics in unsaturated porous media

Researchers used column experiments to investigate how aging, ionic strength, cation type, and humic acid affect the transport of microplastics through unsaturated sandy soil. Aged microplastics with more negative surface charge transported more readily than pristine particles, and humic acid and calcium ions both affected transport in ways dependent on their concentrations.

2022 Chemosphere 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport of degradable/nondegradable and aged microplastics in porous media: Effects of physicochemical factors

Researchers compared the transport of degradable (PLA) and nondegradable (PVC) microplastics through porous media, finding that degradable microplastics were more easily retained due to greater surface roughness and hydrophilicity, while aging from UV exposure further increased retention of both types.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 93 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of physicochemical factors on the transport of aged polystyrene nanoparticles in saturated porous media

Researchers studied how UV aging alters the subsurface transport of polystyrene nanoparticles through sand columns, finding that aging generally enhanced particle mobility by introducing oxygen-containing surface groups, except in the presence of aluminum ions which caused aggregation and reduced transport distance.

2021 Chemosphere 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport of reduced PBAT microplastics in saturated porous media: Synergistic effects of enhanced surface energy and roughness

This study examined how biodegradable PBAT microplastics move through soil after undergoing chemical aging in oxygen-depleted environments. Researchers found that the aging process changed the surface properties of the plastics, making them more mobile in some conditions, which has important implications for understanding how degraded microplastics spread through groundwater systems.

2024 Water Research 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Prolonged drying impedes the detachment of microplastics in unsaturated substrate: Role of flow regimes

This study investigated how prolonged drying conditions affect the detachment of microplastics from porous media under different flow regimes. Researchers found that extended dry periods significantly impede microplastic release, suggesting that soil moisture history plays an important role in determining how microplastics are mobilized and transported through the environment.

2024 Water Research 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Vertical transport of polystyrene nanoplastics in natural soils under unsaturated conditions: influence of particle size and texture

Laboratory experiments showed that polystyrene nanoplastics can travel downward through unsaturated soils, but larger particles and clay-rich soils retain them more effectively than smaller particles in sandy soils. Understanding how nanoplastics move through soil is important for predicting whether they will reach groundwater and contaminate drinking water sources.

2026 Environmental Science Nano
Article Tier 2

Effects of input concentration, media particle size, and flow rate on fate of polystyrene nanoplastics in saturated porous media

Researchers systematically tested how input concentration, sand grain size, and flow rate control nanoplastic transport through saturated porous media, finding that nanoplastics are highly mobile under most conditions and — crucially — fragment into smaller sub-100 nm particles during long-term release, potentially increasing their environmental persistence and bioavailability.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 27 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