ScholarWorks@중앙대학교

초록

Nanoplastics pose significant environmental and health risks due to their small size and persistence, making remediation highly challenging. While zeolites are promising adsorbents owing to their cost-effectiveness and recyclability, systematic studies on their nanoplastic removal capabilities are scarce. This study investigates how zeolite framework structures, extra-framework cations, and aluminum content—factors influencing surface area and hydrophobicity—affect nanoplastic adsorption in aqueous environments. Among the tested materials, HY(60), with its high external surface area and strong hydrophobicity, showed superior performance, achieving 97.4 % removal of nano-polystyrene (nPS, 75–300 nm) and a maximum adsorption capacity of 970.8 mg/g. Molecular dynamics simulations identified zeolite-water and zeolite-nanoplastic interaction strengths as critical determinants of adsorption efficiency. Additionally, quantitative analysis using an extended Langmuir rate equation revealed a sigmoidal dependence of the short-time adsorption rate coefficient on agitation speed, underscoring the importance of zeolite-water interactions. The practical applicability of HY(60) was further validated using real-world water samples from a pond, a river, and a sea. These findings advance mechanistic understanding of nanoplastic adsorption and offer valuable insights into optimizing zeolite properties and treatment conditions, supporting their potential use in large-scale water remediation and public health protection.

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