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Interactive behavior of cadmium ions onto polyethylene microplastics in aquatic system

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Abstract

Microplastics and heavy metals are two different classes of pollutants that are often present in aquatic systems. However, the interaction between these two pollutants is poorly understood in freshwater systems. This research has examined the sorption of cadmium(II) ions onto polyethylene microplastic (PEMP) under freshwater conditions. The scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared analyses confirmed the existence of different functional groups and the porous nature of the PEMP surface. The influences of physicochemical parameters such as the solution pH, contact time, and initial Cd(II) concentration have been examined. The Langmuir isotherm predicted the Cd(II) sorption capacity by PEMP at pH 5 as 1.37 mg/g. Several isotherm models were utilized, including the Freundlich, Langmuir, and Sips models. The results confirmed that the Sips model has been more appropriate for Cd(II)-PEMP isotherm based on percentage errors and correlation coefficient values. Furthermore, the pseudo-first kinetic model fitted Cd(II)-PEMP more accurately than the pseudo-second kinetic equation. Desorption experiments were conducted to release Cd(II) ions from Cd(II)-bearing PEMP using different chemical agents. The findings showed that using 0.01 M nitric acid resulted in a desorption efficiency exceeding 99.8%. This demonstrates that microplastics loaded with Cd(II) may release Cd(II) ions in highly acidic environments, potentially allowing for the uptake of Cd(II) ions by aquatic organisms in their digestive tracts.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Petroleum and Chemical Engineering Programme Area, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Tungku Highway, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam

    D. M. Reddy Prasad

  2. Department of Engineering, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Salalah, Sultanate of Oman

    B. S. Naveen Prasad

  3. Department of Engineering, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Suhar, Sultanate of Oman

    R. Senthilkumar & K. Saravana Kumar

  4. Department of Chemical Engineering, Higher Colleges of Technology, Ruwais Women’s College, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    S. Manickkam

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  1. D. M. Reddy Prasad
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  2. B. S. Naveen Prasad
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  3. R. Senthilkumar
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  4. K. Saravana Kumar
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  5. S. Manickkam
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Correspondence to S. Manickkam.

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Editorial responsibility: Samareh Mirkia.

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Reddy Prasad, D.M., Naveen Prasad, B.S., Senthilkumar, R. et al. Interactive behavior of cadmium ions onto polyethylene microplastics in aquatic system. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-024-05508-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-024-05508-9

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