Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41642452›Full record

ArticleEnvironmental science and pollution research international2026

Mechanistic insights into PVC microplastic adsorption on montmorillonite: A first-principles approach toward pollution control.

Hafiz Muhammad Umer Aslam, Achintya Bezbaruah, Dmitri Kilin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environmental science and pollution research international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Hafiz Muhammad Umer AslamCivil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA.
Achintya BezbaruahCivil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA. a.bezbaruah@ndsu.edu.
Dmitri KilinChemistry and Biochemistry, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA.

Funding

National Institute of Food and Agriculture 2022-67022-37016National Science Foundation 1944921
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Plastic pollution has emerged as a pervasive environmental threat, with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) being a persistent polymer that can degrade into smaller fragments. These particles contaminate aquatic environments, accumulate in biota, and pose serious ecological and health risks. This study used computational methods to investigate the adsorption of vinyl chloride (VC), a PVC oligomer, onto montmorillonite (MMT). Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package was used to perform Density Functional Theory calculations. The interaction between VC and MMT was assessed through binding energy, density of states (DOS), projected DOS, and charge analysis. A negative binding energy (- 0.62 eV) confirmed favorable adsorption. The reduced HOMO-LUMO gap in the VC-MMT hybrid indicated electronic interactions. The orbital-resolved projected density of states (PDOS) showed overlap between the O 2p orbitals of MMT and the H 1 s orbitals of VC. Bader charge analysis revealed negligible charge transfer to the VC molecule upon adsorption, while charge density difference showed localized electron redistribution at the VC-MMT interface. These results indicate a noncovalent interaction without the formation of shared charge density, consistent with polarization-driven physisorption. Molecular dynamics simulations supported these interactions, showing that the VC molecule remained associated with the MMT surface through noncovalent forces. Root mean square deviation (RMSD) confirmed that the VC-MMT structure remained stable throughout the simulation, while the interaction energy exhibited stable fluctuations over time. These findings suggest that MMT holds potential as an effective sink for PVC microplastics through stable, non-covalent surface retention, thereby reducing their dispersion in environmental matrices.

Indexed as

BentoniteMicroplasticsPolyvinyl ChlorideAdsorptionVinyl ChlorideBentoniteMicroplasticsPolyvinyl ChlorideVinyl ChlorideDFTMDMMTPDOSPlastic pollutionRMSDVinyl chloride

Identifiers

PMID41642452
PMCPMC12982257

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.