Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Wu, Yufei
• Feng, Jingchun
• Wu, Kexuan
• Zhang, Si
• Wu, Guozhong

Titel

Molecular mechanisms for the nanoplastic heteroaggregation with multi-component crude oil

Ist Teil von

• Chemical engineering science, 2025-02, Vol.302, p.120806, Article 120806

Ort / Verlag

Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2025

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• [Display omitted] •Fast coalescence stage can be fitted to first-order kinetic model (R = 0.95–0.99).•NPs show selectivity for binding to the aliphatic and aromatic zone of oil droplet.•NP-oil heteroaggregates can form by surface dispersing and surface wrapping modes.•Coalescence by wrapping mode is 34–87 % slower than by dispersing mode.•NP-oil coalescence decrease SSA of NP and oil by up to 48 % and 17 %, respectively. Nanoplastic (NP) and crude oil co-contamination can affect the environmental transport and toxicity of individual NP and oil, but little is known about NP-oil heteroaggregation mechanism so far. In this study, three stages were recognized during NP-oil coalescence process including unstable fluctuation stage, fast coalescense stage and slowly mixing stage. Polyethylene and polypropylene preferred to bind to the aliphatic oil zone, while polystyrene adsorption started on the aromatic zone formed by asphaltenes and aromatics. Polyethylene and polypropylene aggregated with oil via surface dispersing mode by continuously spreading on oil surface and penetrating inside the oil droplet, but polystyrene adsorbed by surface wrapping mode where the rigid polyethylene cluster twisted as a whole until wrapping the oil surface. Heteroaggregates formed by these two modes had different coalescense rate, hydrophobicity and mobility, which might influence the environmental transport pathways. Overall results provided theoretical basis for developing environmental fate models for NP-oil co-contaminants.