Microplastics and heavy metal cadmium Cd (II) are common pollutants in the environment, and their presence poses a potential threat to ecosystems and human health. In this experiment, different types of microplastics were subjected to ultraviolet aging, and the original and ultraviolet aging PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PS (polystyrene), ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), PBAT (polybutylene-terephthalic acid-polybutylene-butanediol ester) and PBS (polybutylene-styrene-polystyrene) were used to adsorb Cd (II) in aqueous solution. The physical and chemical properties of microplastics before and after UV aging were observed by SEM, XRD and FT-IR. The results showed that the surface roughness, pore volume and oxygen-containing functional groups of microplastics after UV aging increased to varying degrees, and the degree of crystallization decreased. The results of adsorption kinetics and isotherms indicated that UV aging changed the physical and chemical properties of the surface of microplastics, and the covalent bond force and heterogeneity were enhanced. The effect of changing the pH of the water on Cd (II) on the six microplastics was basically the same. With the increase of pH, the adsorption capacity of microplastics to Cd (II) increased.

Chen Hong. Study on the Adsorption Characteristics of Heavy Metal Cadmium Cd (II) by Microplastics. Academic Journal of Environment & Earth Science (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 1: 91-97. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJEE.2026.080113.

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