Investigation on the adsorption and desorption behaviors of antibiotics by degradable MPs with or without UV ageing process

To assess the potential vector effects of degradable MPs (microplastics) on the coexisting pollutant, the adsorption-desorption behaviors of tetracycline (TC) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) by the original and aged polylactic acid (PLA) was investigated. Compared with PVC, the physicochemical properties of PLA changed more observably during the UV ageing. The original smooth surface of PLA appeared holes and cracks, and the SBET of PLA increased a 2.66-fold after the aging experiments. During the ageing processes, the hydrophily of aged MPs was also enhanced due to the increase of oxygen-containing functional groups. And the zeta potential of PLA decreased from -7.79 to -13.51 mV and PVC from -4.96 to -8.34 mV, respectively. In adsorption experiment, both the original and aged PLA showed better vector effects for antibiotics than PVC. The ageing factor increased the adsorption capacity of antibiotics on PLA 1.18–2.19 times. The desorption experiments showed that the desorption amount of antibiotics on MPs in simulated intestinal fluid was greater than that in Milli-Q water. On this basis, the desorption capacity of antibiotics with PLA was better than that of PVC, which proved that the potential negative impact of PLA on the aquatic environment and organisms might be more serious.