ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

The capture of 1-chloronaphthalene by poly (butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate) and polylactic acid in seawater

Huaitao Li, Yuexia Feng, Jun Wu, Jian Lu, Xueting Hua, and Feng Li

College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, People’s Republic of China

E-mail: yxfeng_yic@163.com

Received: 4 December 2025  Accepted: 18 February 2026

Abstract:

Biodegradable plastics, widely recognized as promising substitutes for conventional plastics, still face the challenge of microplastic contamination to require in-depth assessments of combined pollution scenarios. This study explored the adsorption of 1-chloronaphthalene (PCN-1) by biodegradable plastics including poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and polylactic acid (PLA) with polyethylene (PE) as a conventional plastic control in seawater. The maximum adsorption capacity of PCN-1 on PLA/PBAT/PE in seawater reached 131.22/323.59/301.80 μg g⁻¹. The desorption efficiency of PCN-1 from PLA and PBAT was substantially lower than that from PE, suggesting that biodegradable plastics might pose reduced environmental risks due to low pollutant release. Interaction between PCN-1 and biodegradable plastics could be regulated by pH, which was attributed to the modulation of π-π stacking interactions. Salinity exerted a positive effect on the adsorption capacity of PCN-1 by PLA, PBAT, and PE; the maximum capacities (131.22/323.59/301.80 μg g⁻¹, respectively) were achieved at a salinity of 30‰. Pseudo-second-order model obtained good fitting on adsorption kinetics of PCN-1 on PLA while PBAT and PE exhibited higher consistency with the pseudo-first-order model. Thermodynamic analysis based on enthalpy (ΔH) and Gibbs free energy (ΔG) changes revealed that PCN-1 adsorption on PLA was an endothermic process, while the adsorption on PBAT and PE was exothermic. Collectively, the capture of PCN-1 by biodegradable plastics is predominantly governed by three key factors: crystallinity of the plastic matrix, π-π interaction between the plastic and PCN-1, and hydrophobic interaction.

Keywords: Biodegradable plastics; Capture; Adsorption–desorption; Polychlorinated naphthalene

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-026-04752-2

Chemical Papers 80 (6) 6105–6116 (2026)