Laboratory of Environmental Technology, INET, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Radioactive Waste Treatment, INET, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
Environ Sci Technol. 2021 Oct 5;55(19):12780-12790. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.1c04466. Epub 2021 Sep 23.
Microplastics are a big and growing part of global pollution, which has aroused increasing concern in recent years because of their large amount, wide distribution, and adverse effects. Microplastics can sorb various pollutants from aquatic environments and act as vectors of pollutants. Most studies mainly focused on the virgin microplastics. However, microplastics in environments can be easily colonized by microorganisms, and form biofilm, which will influence the behaviors and potential risks of microplastics. The formation of biofilm on microplastics and its effects on their properties have been studied before, but their sorption and transport behaviors, and potential risks for pollutants' transfer have not been reviewed. In this paper, the role of biofilm-developed microplastics as vectors of pollutants was thoroughly analyzed and summarized. First, the formation of biofilm on microplastics, the compositions of microorganisms in biofilm, the influencing factors, and the property changes of microplastics after biofilm attachment are thoroughly reviewed. Second, the sorption of pollutants onto biofilm-developed microplastics is discussed. Third, the role of biofilm-developed microplastics as vector of pollutants are analyzed. We concluded that microplastics could provide unique substrates for microorganisms. Biofilm-developed microplastics can sorb more pollutants than the virgin ones, then act as vectors to introduce pollutants and attached microorganisms to aquatic environments and to organisms.
微塑料是全球污染的一个重要且不断增长的组成部分，由于其数量多、分布广、危害大，近年来引起了越来越多的关注。微塑料可以从水生环境中吸附各种污染物，并作为污染物的载体。大多数研究主要集中在原始微塑料上。然而，环境中的微塑料很容易被微生物定殖，并形成生物膜，这将影响微塑料的行为和潜在风险。微塑料上生物膜的形成及其对其性质的影响之前已经被研究过，但是它们的吸附和迁移行为以及污染物转移的潜在风险尚未被综述。本文深入分析和总结了生物膜形成的微塑料作为污染物载体的作用。首先，彻底回顾了微塑料上生物膜的形成、生物膜中微生物的组成、影响因素以及生物膜附着后微塑料性质的变化。其次，讨论了污染物在生物膜形成的微塑料上的吸附。第三，分析了生物膜形成的微塑料作为污染物载体的作用。我们得出结论，微塑料可以为微生物提供独特的基质。与原始微塑料相比，生物膜形成的微塑料可以吸附更多的污染物，然后作为载体将污染物和附着的微生物引入水生环境和生物体中。
