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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Stable Aqueous Suspensions of Manganese Ferrite Clusters with Tunable Nanoscale Dimension and Composition
Published on: February 5, 2022
Impact of Manganese Mineral Transformations on Nanoplastic Transport and Sedimentation in Surface and Subsurface
Aniket Choudhary1, Gopala Krishna Darbha1,2
1Environmental Nanoscience Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research-Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal 741246, India.
Abstract:
The fate and transport of nanoplastics (NPs) are strongly governed by interactions with ubiquitous mineral particles in natural environments. While Fe/Al/Si mineral phases have been extensively investigated, the role of manganese oxide minerals (MnOx), a dominant and highly reactive mineral fraction, has received comparatively little attention. This study systematically examines interactions between polystyrene NPs and primary MnOx (manganite) as well as its subsequent transformed phases, i.e., pyrolusite and bixbyite, under environmentally relevant pH, ionic strength, and humic acid conditions. The results show that the higher density of surface hydroxyl groups and positive surface charge of manganite resulted in the maximum NP sorption capacity (1071.4 mg/g) compared to pyrolusite and bixbyite. Manganite promoted rapid and strong heteroaggregation with NPs in aqueous systems, as confirmed by zeta potential measurements and sedimentation kinetics. Spectroscopic analysis (FTIR and XPS) confirmed that surface functional groups play a vital role in NPs-MnOx interactions. Column transport experiments in saturated porous media further demonstrated that MnOx and pore-water chemistry influence NP mobility. Manganite-coated sand exhibited maximum NP retention relative to pyrolusite and bixbyite, indicating restricted NP transport under subsurface conditions. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of MnOx in controlling NP mobility in aqueous environments.
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