Thomas Easton

Dr. Thomas Easton

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Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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4 October 2022 in RSC Advances
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Journal Article
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Antonio  TursiAntonio Tursi
Antonio Tursi
MBMariafrancesca Baratta
Mariafrancesca Baratta
TEThomas Easton
Thomas Easton
ECEfthalia Chatzisymeon
Efthalia Chatzisymeon
Francesco ChidichimoFrancesco Chidichimo
Francesco Chidichimo
GFGiovanni De Filpo
Giovanni De Filpo
Although the discovery of plastic in the last century has brought enormous benefits to daily activities, it must be said that its use produces countless environmental problems that are difficult to solve.

25 November 2022 in Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
TEThomas Easton
Thomas Easton
VKVasileios Koutsos
Vasileios Koutsos
ECEfthalia Chatzisymeon
Efthalia Chatzisymeon

12 April 2025 in Environments
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Journal Article
Open access
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TEThomas Easton
Thomas Easton
VBVaibhav Budhiraja
Vaibhav Budhiraja
YHYuanzhe He
Yuanzhe He
QZQi Zhang
Qi Zhang
AAAyushi Arora
Ayushi Arora
EFTHALIA CHATZISYMEONEFTHALIA CHATZISYMEON
EFTHALIA CHATZISYMEON
The interaction of microplastics (MPs) with organic micropollutants, such as antibiotics, facilitates their transport in aquatic environments, increasing mobility and toxicological risk. The diverse polymer types, sizes, and shapes in wastewater present a challenge in understanding the fate of persistent organic micropollutants. This study examines ceftazidime adsorption on five polymer types—polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), hard and soft polystyrene (PS), hard and soft polyurethane (PU), and tyre wear particles (TWPs, including three passenger tyres and one truck tyre) in various forms (fibres, beads, foam, and fragments) and sizes (10–1000 µm). MPs underwent weathering (alkaline hydrolysis, UVC-activated H2O2, and Xenon lamp irradiation) to simulate environmental conditions. Their physical and chemical changes were analysed through mass loss, carbonyl index, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The adsorption values (mg g−1) for pristine and weathered MPs, respectively, were as follows: PET (0.664 and 1.432), PE (0.210 and 0.234), hard PS (0.17 and 0.24), soft PS (0.53 and 0.48), hard PU (0.19), soft PU (0.17), and passenger TWPs—Bridgestone (0.212), Michelin (0.273), Goodyear (0.288), and Kumho truck TWPs (0.495). The highest and lowest adsorption were observed in weathered PET (1.432 mg g−1) and pristine hard PS/soft PU (0.17 mg g−1), respectively. Sorption kinetics and isothermal models showed that aged MPs exhibited higher sorption due to surface cracks, fragmentation, and increased adsorption sites. These findings enhance scientific knowledge of MP–antibiotic interactions in wastewater and can underpin studies to mitigate MP pollution and their adverse effects on the environment and humans.