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Microplastics are increasingly entering marine, limnic and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, where they sorb hydrophobic organic contaminants. Here, the sorption behavior of the fuel-related water contaminants benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene (BTEX) and four tertiary butyl ethers to virgin and via UV radiation aged polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) pellets was investigated. Changes in material properties due to aging were recorded using appropriate polymer characterization methods, such as differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and microscopy. Pellets were exposed to water containing BTEX and the ethers at 130-190 μg L for up to two weeks. Aqueous sorbate concentrations were determined by headspace gas chromatography. Sorption to the polymers was correlated with the sorbate's K and was significant for BTEX and marginal for the ethers. Due to substantially lower glass transition temperatures, PP showed higher sorption than PS. Aging had no effect on the sorption behavior of PP. PS sorbed less BTEX after aging due to an oxidized surface layer.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.127 | DOI Listing |
An Acad Bras Cienc
September 2025
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, 6627, Antônio Carlos Avenue, Campus Pampulha, 31270-010 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging contaminants increasingly recognized for their environmental and health implications. While surface water systems have been extensively studied, the presence, behavior, and impacts of MNPs in groundwater remain underexplored, despite its critical role as water source worldwide. The findings in this review highlight that agricultural activities, particularly plastic mulches, pesticides containers, fertilizer bags, greenhouses, are major sources of MNP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall
September 2025
Nanochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Heisenbergstraße 1, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany.
Flexible metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as a new generation of porous materials and are considered for various applications such as sensing, water or gas capture, and water purification. MIL-88 A (Fe) is one of the earliest and most researched flexible MOFs, but to date, there is a lack in the structural aspects that govern its dynamic behaviour. Here, we report the first crystal structure of DMF-solvated MIL-88 A and investigate the impact of real structure effects on the dynamic behaviour of MIL-88 A (Fe), particularly upon water adsorption.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Anal At Spectrom
September 2025
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich Universitätstrasse 16 8092 Zurich Switzerland.
Plastic pollution in marine environments poses ecological risks, in part because plastic debris can release hazardous substances, such as metal-based additives. While microplastics have received considerable attention as vectors of contaminants, less is known about larger macroplastics and their role in the spatial and temporal redistribution of substances. In this study, pristine, store-bought plastic items and macroplastics recovered from the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) were analysed using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to identify polymer types, and bulk acid digestion followed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for total metal quantification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemistryOpen
September 2025
CMC UMR 7140, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, F-67000, France.
Two series of robust pillared metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are obtained under solvothermal conditions by combining a metal salt with either Hbpdc, biphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid, or Hpda, 1,4-phenylenediacrylic acid, forming 2D layers, which are pillared by L, an alloxazine derivative of 1,4-di(pyridin-4-yl)benzene using a one-pot three-component strategy. Crystallographic studies reveal the formation of two isomorphous series of compounds, namely 1-M (from Hbpdc with M = Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) and 2-M (from Hpda with M = Co or Cu). The multifunctional compounds have high decomposition temperatures, and their sorption properties were measured, revealing relatively low surface areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemosphere
September 2025
Department of Materials Design and Innovation, University at Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA. Electronic address:
Bioremediation offers a sustainable strategy for mitigating heavy metal contamination in soil, but is often constrained by slow removal kinetics, limited uptake efficiency, and high implementation costs. This study investigates dried mycelium membranes, rich in surface-bound proteins and high surface area, as a promising biosorbent for in situ Pb(II) remediation in urban soils. Untreated mycelium membranes buried in soil achieved Pb(II) removal efficiencies of ∼70 % and ∼40 % at initial lead soil concentrations of 100 mg/kg and 1500 mg/kg, respectively, within eight days.
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