Microplastics and chlorinated phenols (CPs) are pollutants found ubiquitously in freshwater systems. Meanwhile, bioplastics are attracting much attention as alternatives to conventional plastics, but there is little data about their effect on the behaviour of pollutants. This work therefore investigates the sorption of four CPs (4-chlorophenol—4-CP, 2,4-dichlorophenol—2,4-DCP, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol—2,4,6-TCP and pentachlorophenol—PCP) on three different plastics (polyethylene (PЕg), polypropylene (PP) and polylactic acid (PLA)) using kinetics and isotherm studies. All experiments were carried out in a synthetic water matrix and in spiked Danube river water. In all cases, adsorption kinetics fitted well with the pseudo-second order rate model. Adsorption proceeded through two linear phases, corresponding to transport from the bulk solution to the external surfaces and then into the interior pores of the sorbents. Maximum adsorption capacities calculated with the Langmuir isotherm indicated that whereas adsorption of 4-CP was not significantly affected by the type of plastic present, the adsorption of 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6-TCP and PCP varied greatly, with polypropylene showing the greatest affinity for CPs adsorption. The differences observed between the adsorption behaviour of CPs in the synthetic and natural water matrices suggest further investigation is required into how the different fractions of natural organic matter impact interactions between CPs and plastics.

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The role of microplastics (MPs) on the fate and transport of various pollutants in water matrices is of major concern, but it is still relatively under investigated. In order to consider the conditions in real aquatic environments, the changes to polyethylene (PE) structure during the fabrication of microplastic particles for specific uses should not be neglected. Thus, this work considers isolated PE from two types of personal care products, which are possible sources of microplastic contamination in aquatic environments. The adsorption affinity of these PE microplastics towards ionisable compounds was compared with those of standards of PE and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), using chlorinated phenols (4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol) as adsorbates. The pseudo-second order kinetic model described well the sorption process for all chlorinated phenols on all four types of MPs (R 2 range: 0.900-0.998). The kinetic study showed that sorption rates are mainly controlled by hydrophobic interactions and molecule size. Adsorption isotherms were best described by the Freundlich model for all MPs. The obtained results indicate that MPs could serve for the transport of chlorinated phenols through ambient waters.

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Starting from the assumption that wastewater treatments can have a significant impact on the interactions between microplastics (MPs) and various pollutants in different matrices, a focus must be directed on examination of classic and redesigned treatments to remove synthetic dyes in the presence of MPs from wastewater. This paper investigates the potential application of Fenton-like process for the removal of water-based printing dye (Cyan) from aqueous solution containing MPs in a form of granulated polyethylene (PEg). The influence of five quantitative parameters on decolorization efficiency was investigated: initial dye concentration (20-180 mgL-1), nano zero valent iron (nZVI) dosage (0.75-60 mgL-1), PEg concentration (1-10 gL-1), hydrogen-peroxide concentration (1-11 mM) and pH value (2-10). A novel statistical approach, definitive screening design, resulted with the optimization process which yielded highest removal efficiency of 92% under following conditions: initial dye concentration of 155 mgL-1, nZVI dosage of 55 mgL-1, PEg concentration of 2.35 gL-1, H2O2 concentration of 2 mM and pH value 2.5. Available data indicate that in the future, wastewater containing MPs will dictate ways to reuse this water in terms of closing the water material cycle and reducing environmental pollution. Therefore, the industrial wastewater reuse is an important component of sustainable wastewater management practices, namely, water resource augmentation and pollutant reduction.