Antibiotic Adsorption by Microplastics: Effect of Weathering, Polymer Type, Size, and Shape

• Published in: Environments (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 4; p. 120
• Main Authors: Easton, Thomas, Budhiraja, Vaibhav, He, Yuanzhe, Zhang, Qi, Arora, Ayushi, Koutsos, Vasileios, Chatzisymeon, Efthalia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.04.2025
• Subjects: Adsorption; Antibiotics; Aquatic environment; Atomic force microscopy; Atomic properties; Bacteria; Carbonyl compounds; Carbonyls; Caustic soda; Ceftazidime; Contamination; Environmental aspects; Environmental conditions; Environmental effects; Hydrogen peroxide; Irradiation; Microplastics; Micropollutants; Microscopy; Organic contaminants; Oxidation; Particulate matter; Passengers; Plastic pollution; Pollutants; Polyesters; Polyethylene terephthalate; Polymers; Polystyrene; Polystyrene resins; Polyurethane; Polyurethane resins; Purification; Scanning electron microscopy; Sewage; Sorption; Surface cracks; Tires; United Kingdom; Washers & dryers; Wastewater; Water pollution; Water treatment; Wear particles; Weathering; Xenon; Xenon lamps; United Kingdom; United Kingdom > UK; Slovenia
• ISSN: 2076-3298; 2076-3298
• DOI: 10.3390/environments12040120

The interaction of microplastics (MPs) with organic micropollutants, such as antibiotics, facilitates their transport in aquatic environments, increasing mobility and toxicological risk. The diverse polymer types, sizes, and shapes in wastewater present a challenge in understanding the fate of persistent organic micropollutants. This study examines ceftazidime adsorption on five polymer types—polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), hard and soft polystyrene (PS), hard and soft polyurethane (PU), and tyre wear particles (TWPs, including three passenger tyres and one truck tyre) in various forms (fibres, beads, foam, and fragments) and sizes (10–1000 µm). MPs underwent weathering (alkaline hydrolysis, UVC-activated H2O2, and Xenon lamp irradiation) to simulate environmental conditions. Their physical and chemical changes were analysed through mass loss, carbonyl index, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The adsorption values (mg g−1) for pristine and weathered MPs, respectively, were as follows: PET (0.664 and 1.432), PE (0.210 and 0.234), hard PS (0.17 and 0.24), soft PS (0.53 and 0.48), hard PU (0.19), soft PU (0.17), and passenger TWPs—Bridgestone (0.212), Michelin (0.273), Goodyear (0.288), and Kumho truck TWPs (0.495). The highest and lowest adsorption were observed in weathered PET (1.432 mg g−1) and pristine hard PS/soft PU (0.17 mg g−1), respectively. Sorption kinetics and isothermal models showed that aged MPs exhibited higher sorption due to surface cracks, fragmentation, and increased adsorption sites. These findings enhance scientific knowledge of MP–antibiotic interactions in wastewater and can underpin studies to mitigate MP pollution and their adverse effects on the environment and humans.