Microplastics are a large group of plastic particles of different shapes and materials, ranging in size from 1 μm to 1000 μm. Microplastics enter the environment from a variety of sources, but one of the most important sources is wastewater. In wastewater, various pollutants, including nanoparticles, can adsorb to microplastics. Microplastics with adsorbed nanoparticles can then be transported on long distances, because microplastics can easily float. As their common fate is not yet well understood, the aim of this thesis was to investigate the effect of pH on the leaching of nanoparticles adsorbed on microplastics. We used polyethylene fragments as a model of microplastics, which are common in the aquatic environment. Nanoparticles used in this study were TiO2 and ZnO because they are one of the most commonly used metal nanoparticles. The leaching of the nanoparticles from the microplastics was carried out at pH values of 6 and 8. The results showed that pH has no effect on desorption and the kinetics of desorption can be described by a pseudo-second order model.
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