Impact of water chemistry on surface charge and aggregation of polystyrene microspheres suspensions

The discharge of microplastics into aquatic environment poses the potential threat to the hydrocoles and human health. The fate and transport of microplastics in aqueous solutions are significantly influenced by water chemistry. In this study, the effect of water chemistry (i.e., pH, foreign salts and humic acid) on the surface charge and aggregation of polystyrene microsphere in aqueous solutions was conducted by batch, zeta potentials, hydrodynamic diameters, FT-IR and XPS analysis. Compared to Na+ and K+, the lower negative zeta potentials and larger hydrodynamic diameters of polystyrene microspheres after introduction of Mg2+ were observed within a wide range of pH (2.0–11.0) and ionic strength (IS, 0.01–500 mmol/L). No effect of Cl−, HCO3– and SO42− on the zeta potentials and hydrodynamic diameters of polystyrene microspheres was observed at low IS concentrations (<5 mmol/L), whereas the zeta potentials and hydrodynamic diameters of polystyrene microspheres after addition of SO42− were higher than that of Cl− and HCO3– at high IS concentrations (>10 mmol/L). The zeta potentials of polystyrene microspheres after HA addition were decreased at pH 2.0–11.0, whereas the lower hydrodynamic diameters were observed at pH < 4.0. According to FT-IR and XPS analysis, the change in surface properties of polystyrene microspheres after addition of hydrated Mg2+ and HA was attributed to surface electrostatic and/or steric repulsions. These investigations are crucial for understanding the effect of water chemistry on colloidal stability of microplastics in aquatic environment.