Binding of nanoplastics onto a cellulose film

We report on the binding of nanoplastics onto a thin film of cellulose - the primary structural component of the cell-wall of green plants, many forms of algae and the oomycetes. The binding capacities of neutral and negatively charged nanoplastics were compared. Data from a fluorescence microplate reader showed that the adsorption of the neutral nanoplastic beads to be stronger than that of the negatively charged beads. A Freundlich adsorption isotherm was fitted to the experimental data and the binding constants were determined. Furthermore, the effect of solvent salinity on the binding was investigated. Our study provides an efficient method for evaluating the potential hazardous effects of nanoplastic particles in the environment.