Role of surface functionalities of nanoplastics on their transport in seawater-saturated sea sand

Deposition of environmentally relevant nanoplastic models in sand during transport experiments

“…In the terrestrial system (soils, aquifers, sediments, etc. ), studies have generally focused on microplastics (1 μm to 5 mm) (Dong et al, 2019a(Dong et al, , 2019bHe et al, 2018;Liu et al, 2019;Tufenkji and Elimelech, 2005), although it is clear that plastic fragmentation does not stop at the micrometer size (Gigault et al, 2016;Lambert and Wagner, 2016).…”

“…Indeed, the composition, shape, size, and surface are known to play key roles in the transport of nanoparticles in the environment (Hotze et al, 2010;Pelley and Tufenkji, 2008;Salerno et al, 2006). Such parameters have only recently been investigated, with studies concerning UV-aged NPTs (Liu et al, 2019) and polystyrene NPTs containing different surface functionalities (Dong et al, 2019b).…”

Current understanding of subsurface transport of micro‐ and nanoplastics in soil

“…Polystyrene micro-and nanoparticles are also being used as model particles in colloid and surface science, to assess toxicity of nanoparticles (Loos et al, 2014), as well as to study the fate and transport of colloids in porous media (Bradford, Yates, Bettahar, & Simunek, 2002;Elimelech & O'Melia, 1990a, 1990bWan & Wilson, 1994). The model polystyrene particles are mostly spheres having a smooth surface, with diameter ranging from 10 nm to <25 μm, and they are either nonmodified or modified with surface functional groups, such as carboxyl, sulfate, and amino groups (Figure 2; Cho et al, 2014;Dong et al, 2019). These surface modifications affect the surface charge and the hydrophobicity of the particles (Aramrak, Flury, Harsh, & Zollars, 2014;Dong et al, 2019).…”

“…The model polystyrene particles are mostly spheres having a smooth surface, with diameter ranging from 10 nm to <25 μm, and they are either nonmodified or modified with surface functional groups, such as carboxyl, sulfate, and amino groups (Figure 2; Cho et al, 2014;Dong et al, 2019). These surface modifications affect the surface charge and the hydrophobicity of the particles (Aramrak, Flury, Harsh, & Zollars, 2014;Dong et al, 2019). When these particles are released to the environment, further surface modifications will occur as the particles interact with other constituents, such as inorganic ions, dissolved organic matter, or extracellular polymeric substances (Cho et al, 2014;Wu, Jiang, Lin, & Ouyang, 2019).…”

Fate of nanoplastics in the environment: Implication of the cigarette butts

“…Similar to other classic nanoparticles, NPTs may interact with various species, whether naturally present or (un)intentionally released within the environment. These interactions can enhance NPT transport through different natural interfaces (soil-freshwater-estuarine system-ocean) or promote their accumulation in specific areas (Alimi et al, 2018;da Costa et al, 2016;Dong et al, 2019). Among all the types of debris found in the environment, cigarette butts (CGBs) are one of the most predominant, and worldwide cigarette consumption is estimated to reach approximately 9 trillion by 2025 (Araújo and Costa, 2019;Mackay et al, 2002).…”