As the world transitions towards a more sustainable future, it is imperative to develop innovative solutions that address the pressing issue of plastic pollution. Microplastics, in particular, have become a significant concern due to their widespread presence in the environment and potential to interact with toxic pollutants. Organic compounds, which include a variety of harmful chemicals, such as pesticides and other industrial chemicals, are often released into the environment and can readily bind to microplastics. In this context, understanding the adsorption of organic compounds on microplastics is crucial for designing effective strategies to mitigate their environmental impacts. This study investigates the adsorption dynamics of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) on polystyrene microplastics, exploring the influence of pH and contact time, as well as utilizing kinetic models and isothermal equations to elucidate the adsorption mechanism. The results suggest that the pH level has a negligible impact on the adsorption capacity of PS for OCPs. In contrast, the contact time plays a significant role in the amount of OCPs adsorbed onto the PS surface. Interestingly, a relatively short time of up to 6 h was sufficient to reach equilibrium. The adsorption of OCPs on PS follows a uniform pattern consistent with the Freundlich isotherm model, indicating a multilayer adsorption process. The use of kinetic models to describe the adsorption process was also found to be useful in understanding its mechanism. Specifically, the pseudo-second-order kinetic model proved to be a suitable descriptor for the adsorption process of organochlorine pesticides on PS. This study highlights the importance of understanding the interactions between microplastics and organic pollutants, which is crucial for developing sustainable solutions to mitigate the environmental impacts of plastic pollution, ultimately contributing to a more environmentally conscious future.

The work aimed to investigate the presence of pharmaceutical compounds from the anti-inflammatory class in seawater from the Romanian Black Sea coast and to assess the ecological risk of these substances on the most sensitive organisms. Using the solid-phase extraction technique (SPE) followed by liquid chromatography separation and mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS/MS) of the compounds, the concentrations of these contaminants in selected seawater samples were determined. Ibuprofen was the most commonly detected compound with a frequency of 42.9%, followed by ketoprofen at 31.0.%, diclofenac at 23.8%, and naproxen at 21.4%. The maximum concentrations of pharmaceutical products varied between 13.4 ng/L ketoprofen and 13,575 ng/L caffeine. The order of decreasing maximum concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds in the water of the Black Sea was CAF > IBU > NAP > DIC > KET. The dominant and ubiquitous compound that was determined with the maximum concentration values was caffeine. Strong correlations were observed between three compounds (naproxen: diclofenac, diclofenac: ketoprofen) suggesting the same pollution source. Through the ecological risk assessment, it was observed that both caffeine and ibuprofen can generate high ecological risks for some echinoderms, crustaceans, and fish.