Microplastics inhibit lead binding to sediment components: Influence of surface functional groups and charge environment

IF 11.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research Pub Date : 2025-04-16 DOI:10.1016/j.watres.2025.123661

Xiao Lu , Lijuan Wang , Jiawei Li , Wenqiu Li , Ruoqun Yan , Xiaoguang Duan , Yuanyuan Tang

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Abstract

The coexistence of heavy metals and microplastics in sediments is well recognized, yet the interactions within ternary systems remain underexplored, and comprehensive studies addressing the diverse sequences of sediment-microplastic-heavy metal coexistence are lacking. In this study, we systematically investigated the interactions among lead (Pb), polystyrene (PS) microplastics, and sediments (using goethite (Goe) and goethite-humic acid composite (GH) as examples) under different coexistence orders. The presence of PS significantly inhibited Pb adsorption by both Goe and GH. For Goe, adsorption kinetics and hydrochemical condition effects showed that PS reduced the electrostatic repulsion between Goe and Pb, leading to a fourfold increase in the mass transfer rate of Pb to the Goe surface. However, Pb 4f deconvolution indicated competition between PS and Pb for hydroxyl groups on Goe, resulting in a 7.4% reduction in Pb adsorption. In the GH system, hydrophobic interactions and coordination complexes between PS and humic acid on GH inhibited the electrostatic adsorption and mass transfer processes between Pb and GH. Pb adsorption behavior and changes in Pb-O content under different coexistence orders further verified that competition between PS and Pb for carboxyl and hydroxyl groups on GH led to a 28.0% reduction in Pb adsorption. This study highlights the inhibitory effect of PS on Pb adsorption by Goe and GH, providing a theoretical basis for understanding the migration and transformation patterns of microplastics and heavy metals in sediments.

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微塑料抑制铅与沉积物组分的结合：表面官能团和电荷环境的影响

沉积物中重金属和微塑料的共存是公认的，但三元体系内的相互作用仍未得到充分探索，并且缺乏针对沉积物-微塑料-重金属共存的不同序列的综合研究。本研究系统研究了铅（Pb）、聚苯乙烯（PS）微塑料与沉积物（以针铁矿（Goe）和针铁矿-腐植酸复合材料（GH）为例）在不同共存顺序下的相互作用。PS的存在显著抑制了Goe和GH对Pb的吸附。对于Goe，吸附动力学和水化学条件效应表明，PS降低了Goe与Pb之间的静电斥力，导致Pb到Goe表面的传质速率提高了4倍。然而，pb4f反褶积表明PS和Pb在Goe上竞争羟基，导致Pb吸附减少7.4%。在GH体系中，PS和腐植酸在GH上的疏水相互作用和配位配合物抑制了Pb和GH之间的静电吸附和传质过程。Pb吸附行为和不同共存顺序下Pb- o含量的变化进一步验证了PS和Pb对GH上羧基和羟基的竞争导致Pb吸附减少28.0%。本研究突出了PS对Goe和GH吸附Pb的抑制作用，为了解沉积物中微塑料和重金属的迁移转化规律提供了理论依据。

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来源期刊

Water Research 环境科学-工程：环境

CiteScore

20.80

自引率

9.40%

发文量

1307

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Water Research, along with its open access companion journal Water Research X, serves as a platform for publishing original research papers covering various aspects of the science and technology related to the anthropogenic water cycle, water quality, and its management worldwide. The audience targeted by the journal comprises biologists, chemical engineers, chemists, civil engineers, environmental engineers, limnologists, and microbiologists. The scope of the journal include: •Treatment processes for water and wastewaters (municipal, agricultural, industrial, and on-site treatment), including resource recovery and residuals management; •Urban hydrology including sewer systems, stormwater management, and green infrastructure; •Drinking water treatment and distribution; •Potable and non-potable water reuse; •Sanitation, public health, and risk assessment; •Anaerobic digestion, solid and hazardous waste management, including source characterization and the effects and control of leachates and gaseous emissions; •Contaminants (chemical, microbial, anthropogenic particles such as nanoparticles or microplastics) and related water quality sensing, monitoring, fate, and assessment; •Anthropogenic impacts on inland, tidal, coastal and urban waters, focusing on surface and ground waters, and point and non-point sources of pollution; •Environmental restoration, linked to surface water, groundwater and groundwater remediation; •Analysis of the interfaces between sediments and water, and between water and atmosphere, focusing specifically on anthropogenic impacts; •Mathematical modelling, systems analysis, machine learning, and beneficial use of big data related to the anthropogenic water cycle; •Socio-economic, policy, and regulations studies.