Abstract
Pharmaceuticals and microplastics have long been identified as water pollutants. Pollutants, including pharmaceutical compounds, have been shown to be transported by microplastics (MPs). In this mini-review, adsorption mechanism between microplastics and emerging contaminants were highlighted. Polyethylene is a non-polar, semi-cystalline microplastic with a density of 240 to 244 kg/m3. Besides, Ibuprofen adsorption onto microplastics is pH dependent. Non-polar or neutral compounds that are homogeneous and extremely hydrophobic in nature interact with non-polar and weakly polar plastics such as Polypropylene and Polyethylene. Furthermore, Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation can be employed to study the mechanism of interaction between MPs and contaminants. As a result, some studies show a complex interaction between polyethylene (PE) and certain contaminants, with no significant differences in adsorption energies, but sulfamethazine molecules effectively adsorbed on the MPs surface. In summary, this mini review shed lights on the insights of adsorption mechanism between these compounds.
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