Impact of fertilizers on polyethylene terephthalate nanoplastics migration in groundwater: A combined experimental and simulation approach.

This study investigated the effects of three fertilizer components-urea [CO(NH2)2], calcium phosphate [Ca3(PO4)2], and sodium sulfate [Na2SO4]-as well as their combinations, on the migration behavior of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoplastics in quartz sand porous media, using laboratory column experiments and molecular dynamics simulations.Experimental results showed that under single-fertilizer conditions, all three components significantly inhibited the migration of PET nanoplastics. Under the same experimental conditions, the order of inhibitory effect was Ca3(PO4)2>Na2SO4> CO(NH2)2. Among them, Ca3(PO4)2 exhibited the most pronounced inhibitory effect through the dual mechanisms of reducing electrostatic repulsion and facilitating Ca2+ bridging. Additionally, a synergistic effect was observed between mixed fertilizer components, which further enhanced the inhibitory effect on PET migration. Results from molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that the individual addition of each of the three fertilizer components altered the interaction energy between the PET nanoplastic suspension and the quartz sand surface. This study reveals the inhibitory mechanism by which fertilizers influence PET nanoplastics in porous media: fertilizers modify the surface properties of the medium and the stability of PET nanoparticles, thereby inhibiting PET migration. The findings provide an important theoretical basis for the prevention and control of microplastic pollution in agricultural practices, soil, and groundwater.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Water Research

• Publication date

  2025-12-24

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.watres.2025.125275PMID 41468757
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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