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A universal scaling law for suspended particle transport in heterogeneous fractures, with focus on micro- and nanoplastics
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Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles, like the micro- and nanoplastics found in water sources, move through cracks in rock underground, which matters because these cracks can act as pathways connecting groundwater to the water we drink. They found a predictable pattern (a "universal scaling law") that explains how particle size, density, and the shape of the crack affect whether plastics get trapped in rock or flow through freely. This kind of finding helps scientists better predict where microplastic contamination might build up in underground water supplies, which could eventually inform how we protect drinking water from plastic pollution.
Dataset 1.csv Particle transmission ratio (F) for different aperture, aperture CV, particle size, and particle density. Dataset 2.csv Particle arrivals at the control plane (CP) for different aperture, aperture CV, particle size, and particle density.
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A universal scaling law for suspended particle transport in heterogeneous fractures, with focus on micro- and nanoplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles, like the micro- and nanoplastics found in water sources, move through cracks in rock, which matters because these cracks can act as pathways into groundwater we eventually drink. They discovered a consistent mathematical pattern that predicts how much plastic gets through versus trapped, based on the size and shape of the rock cracks and the plastic particles themselves. This kind of predictive tool could eventually help experts better assess how microplastics contaminate drinking water supplies underground.
Mechanistic insights into the pore-scale transport and retention of microplastics: bridging physical and geochemical controls
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Scientists modeled how tiny plastic particles move through underground soil and rock to figure out what makes them get trapped versus flow into groundwater supplies. They found that warmer water and certain narrow, twisty underground pathways cause more microplastics to get stuck—sometimes more than doubling how much sticks around—while faster-flowing water lets more particles slip through toward drinking water sources. This matters because it helps predict when and where groundwater (a major source of drinking water) is more vulnerable to microplastic contamination, especially as climate change warms groundwater temperatures.
Quantitative Linking of Nanoscale Interactions to Continuum-Scale Nanoparticle and Microplastic Transport in Environmental Granular Media
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Researchers successfully linked the atomic-scale forces between plastic nanoparticles and sand grains to predictions of how those particles move through soil and groundwater at larger scales. This advances the ability to model microplastic transport in the environment, which is important for assessing contamination of drinking water sources.
Microplastics transport in subsurface environments: Mechanisms and multi-scale modeling
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Tiny plastic particles are seeping through soil into groundwater—the same water many of us drink—and this review of existing research shows scientists still struggle to predict exactly how they move underground. Because these particles behave differently than the chemicals or germs we usually track in water, current safety models may miss how far and fast they travel, which matters since they can carry other pollutants along with them. Better tracking models, which the researchers propose building, could eventually help protect drinking water supplies from this hidden contamination.
Effects of co-present mineral colloids on the transport of microplastics in porous media: The key role of hydrochemical and hydrodynamic conditions
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Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles (microplastics) move through soil and sand when mixed with natural clay particles. They found that the combination of different clay types and water conditions can either help microplastics travel further underground or trap them in place. This research helps us better understand how microplastics might contaminate groundwater sources that provide our drinking water.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.