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Nanomaterials
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Environmental Fate, Transport and Effects of Nanoplastics
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Environmental Fate, Transport and Effects of Nanoplastics

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Nanoscience and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 February 2025 | Viewed by 6078

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Philippe Le Coustumer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Bordeaux Imaging Center, PIE, CGFB, UMS3420 CNRS-Université-US4 INSERM, 146 rue L. Saignant, CS 61292, 33076 Bordeaux cedex, France
Interests: hydrogeochemistry; colloids; emergent contaminants; nanoparticles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Serge Stoll

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Guest Editor
Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Interests: fate and transport of emerging contaminants; water treatment processes; polyelectrolytes; nanoparticles; microplastics; colloid science; modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Mohammed Baalousha

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Environmental Nanoscience and Risk (CENR), Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Interests: nanomaterials; environmental analysis; material characterization; materials; nanomaterials synthesis; polymers; thin films and nanotechnology; X-ray diffraction; SEM analysis; wastewater treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wei Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Interests: aquatic chemistry; nanoparticle characterization; ecotoxicology; eco-bio corona; bioaccumulation; aquatic invertebrates; microalgae

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanoplastics are widely distributed in all environmental systems, including air, water, soil, and living organisms. Nanoplastics are heterogeneous nanomaterials that consist of polymers and additives such as plasticizers, fillers, and pigments. They are generated or derived from the degradation of everyday plastic consumer products. In addition to their complex composition, nanoplastics can adsorb toxic pollutants from the surrounding environment, such as metals and organic contaminants. Because of their complex composition, interaction with environmental contaminants, small size, and large surface area, nanoplastics could later the fate and transport of other contaminants, release metallic and organic contaminants, and, therefore, pose risks to environmental and human health.

This Special Issue is dedicated to original research and critical review articles. Topics of interest include state-of-the-art nanoplastic sources, emission, distribution, and monitoring in different environmental compartments; fate, transport including in porous media, water treatment, acute and chronic effects of nanoplastics; and the biophysical–chemical mechanisms of their potential toxicity. This Special Issue is open to original contributions on mechanisms, modeling, solutions limiting teratogenic effects, genomic and proteomic approaches, remediation solutions, recommendations, standards and intelligence artificial (IA) based methods.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Philippe Le Coustumer
Dr. Serge Stoll
Prof. Dr. Mohammed Baalousha
Dr. Wei Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanoplastic
  • ecotoxicity
  • fate
  • transport
  • environment organism
  • human
  • health
  • socio-economic impacts

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1150 KiB  
Article
Nanoplastic Contamination in Freshwater Biofilms Using Gel Permeation Chromatography and Plasmonic Nanogold Sensor Approaches
by Eva Roubeau Dumont and Francois Gagné
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(15), 1288; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14151288 - 31 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1355
Abstract
The worldwide contamination of aquatic ecosystems by plastics is raising concern, including their potential impacts on the base of the food chain, which has been poorly documented. This study sought to examine, for the first time, the presence of nanoplastics (NPs) in biofilms [...] Read more.
The worldwide contamination of aquatic ecosystems by plastics is raising concern, including their potential impacts on the base of the food chain, which has been poorly documented. This study sought to examine, for the first time, the presence of nanoplastics (NPs) in biofilms from freshwater streams/rivers. They were collected at selected polluted sites, such as the industrial sector for plastic recycling and production, miscellaneous industries, agriculture, municipal wastewaters/effluents and road runoffs. In parallel, the functional properties of sampled biofilms were determined by proteins, lipids, esterase (lipase), viscosity and oxidative stress. The results revealed that biofilms collected at the plastic industries and road runoffs contained the highest NP levels based on size exclusion chromatography, fluorescence detection and a new nanogold sensor visualization method. Examination of the chromatographic elution profiles showed increased abundance and size of NPs in the 10–150 nm size range at the polluted sites. Biofilms from the plastic industry site had elevated levels of aldehydes (oxidative stress) and lipids compared to the other sites. Biofilms collected at the municipal sites had elevated levels of proteins and esterases/lipases, with a decrease in total lipids. Biofilms collected at agriculture sites had the lowest levels of NPs in this campaign, but more samples would be needed to confirm these trends. In conclusion, biofilms represent an important sink for plastics in freshwater environments and display signs of distress upon oxidative stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Fate, Transport and Effects of Nanoplastics)
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31 pages, 5998 KiB  
Article
Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics Generated from Disposable Water Bottles Induce Interferon Signaling Pathways in Mouse Lung Epithelial Cells
by Luna Rahman, Andrew Williams, Dongmei Wu and Sabina Halappanavar
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(15), 1287; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14151287 - 31 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1579
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are present in ambient air in a respirable size fraction; however, their potential impact on human health via inhalation routes is not well documented. In the present study, methods for a lab-scale generation of MPs from regularly used and littered plastic [...] Read more.
Microplastics (MPs) are present in ambient air in a respirable size fraction; however, their potential impact on human health via inhalation routes is not well documented. In the present study, methods for a lab-scale generation of MPs from regularly used and littered plastic articles were optimized. The toxicity of 11 different types of MPs, both commercially purchased and in-lab prepared MPs, was investigated in lung epithelial cells using cell viability, immune and inflammatory response, and genotoxicity endpoints. The underlying mechanisms were identified by microarray analysis. Although laborious, the laboratory-scale methods generated a sufficient quantity of well characterized MPs for toxicity testing. Of the 11 MPs tested, the small sized polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) MPs prepared from disposable water bottles induced the maximum toxicity. Specifically, the smaller size PETE MPs induced a robust activation of the interferon signaling pathway, implying that PETE MPs are perceived by cells by similar mechanisms as those employed to recognize pathogens. The PETE MPs of heterogenous size and shapes induced cell injury, triggering cell death, inflammatory cascade, and DNA damage, hallmark in vitro events indicative of potential in vivo tissue injury. The study establishes toxicity of specific types of plastic materials in micron and nano size. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Fate, Transport and Effects of Nanoplastics)
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17 pages, 5055 KiB  
Article
Influence of Concentration, Surface Charge, and Natural Water Components on the Transport and Adsorption of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Sand Columns
by Gabriela Hul, Hande Okutan, Philippe Le Coustumer, Stéphan Ramseier Gentile, Stéphane Zimmermann, Pascal Ramaciotti, Pauline Perdaems and Serge Stoll
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(6), 529; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14060529 - 15 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1227
Abstract
Information about the influence of surface charges on nanoplastics (NPLs) transport in porous media, the influence of NPL concentrations on porous media retention capacities, and changes in porous media adsorption capacities in the presence of natural water components are still scarce. In this [...] Read more.
Information about the influence of surface charges on nanoplastics (NPLs) transport in porous media, the influence of NPL concentrations on porous media retention capacities, and changes in porous media adsorption capacities in the presence of natural water components are still scarce. In this study, laboratory column experiments are conducted to investigate the transport behavior of positively charged amidine polystyrene (PS) latex NPLs and negatively charged sulfate PS latex NPLs in quartz sand columns saturated with ultrapure water and Geneva Lake water, respectively. Results obtained for ultrapure water show that amidine PS latex NPLs have more affinity for negatively charged sand surfaces than sulfate PS latex NPLs because of the presence of attractive electrical forces. As for the Geneva Lake water, under natural conditions, both NPL types and sand are negatively charged. Therefore, the presence of repulsion forces reduces NPL’s affinity for sand surfaces. The calculated adsorption capacities of sand grains for the removal of both types of NPLs from both types of water are oscillating around 0.008 and 0.004 mg g−1 for NPL concentrations of 100 and 500 mg L−1, respectively. SEM micrography shows individual NPLs or aggregates attached to the sand and confirms the limited role of the adsorption process in NPL retention. The important NPL retention, especially in the case of negatively charged NPLs, in Geneva Lake water-saturated columns is related to heteroaggregate formation and their further straining inside narrow pores. The presence of DOM and metal cations is then crucial to trigger the aggregation process and NPL retention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Fate, Transport and Effects of Nanoplastics)
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Review

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37 pages, 4585 KiB  
Review
Carbon Nanodot–Microbe–Plant Nexus in Agroecosystem and Antimicrobial Applications
by József Prokisch, Duyen H. H. Nguyen, Arjun Muthu, Aya Ferroudj, Abhishek Singh, Shreni Agrawal, Vishnu D. Rajput, Karen Ghazaryan, Hassan El-Ramady and Mahendra Rai
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(15), 1249; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14151249 - 25 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1464
Abstract
The intensive applications of nanomaterials in the agroecosystem led to the creation of several environmental problems. More efforts are needed to discover new insights in the nanomaterial–microbe–plant nexus. This relationship has several dimensions, which may include the transport of nanomaterials to different plant [...] Read more.
The intensive applications of nanomaterials in the agroecosystem led to the creation of several environmental problems. More efforts are needed to discover new insights in the nanomaterial–microbe–plant nexus. This relationship has several dimensions, which may include the transport of nanomaterials to different plant organs, the nanotoxicity to soil microbes and plants, and different possible regulations. This review focuses on the challenges and prospects of the nanomaterial–microbe–plant nexus under agroecosystem conditions. The previous nano-forms were selected in this study because of the rare, published articles on such nanomaterials. Under the study’s nexus, more insights on the carbon nanodot–microbe–plant nexus were discussed along with the role of the new frontier in nano-tellurium–microbe nexus. Transport of nanomaterials to different plant organs under possible applications, and translocation of these nanoparticles besides their expected nanotoxicity to soil microbes will be also reported in the current study. Nanotoxicity to soil microbes and plants was investigated by taking account of morpho-physiological, molecular, and biochemical concerns. This study highlights the regulations of nanotoxicity with a focus on risk and challenges at the ecological level and their risks to human health, along with the scientific and organizational levels. This study opens many windows in such studies nexus which are needed in the near future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Fate, Transport and Effects of Nanoplastics)
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