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Modelling microplastics in bioretention systems: A review
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This review examines existing mathematical models for describing microplastic transport, removal, and fragmentation within bioretention systems used for urban stormwater management. The authors identify gaps in mechanistic understanding of how microplastics move through engineered porous media and how they affect the hydrology and performance of these low-impact development systems.
Urban stormwater is both a major source and a mode of transport for microplastics in the environment. Black-box field studies have found that bioretention cells, a type of low impact development (LID), consisting mainly of engineered porous media, are effective systems for capturing microplastics. However, the mechanisms of how microplastics are transported, removed from stormwater, and fragmented within bioretention cells are unclear. Additionally, the impacts of microplastics on the hydrology and microplastic removal performance of bioretention cells remain unclear. This study assesses tools to model microplastic removal using LID and reviews the literature on the mechanisms of microplastic filtration in porous media. None of the evaluated stormwater tools were found to be well-suited to model microplastic removal via bioretention. We identified 74 studies that, at times, misinterpreted “all microplastics” as colloids. We recommend using a combination of two models to evaluate the full spectrum of microplastic sizes. Currently, the best-suited models are HYDRUS and the cake-layer model described in Li and Davis (2008a), which can be adapted for this purpose. More column studies are needed to parametrize these models that use the full range of polymer types and morphologies of urban stormwater microplastics.
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Microplastics Transport in Porous Media and Modeling in Bioretention Systems: A Review
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Researchers reviewed 100 studies on microplastic transport through porous media and assessed existing stormwater engineering models, finding none well-suited for predicting MP removal by bioretention cells and recommending adapted versions of HYDRUS combined with surface caking and depth-wise filtration models as the most promising near-term path forward.
[Removal Mechanism of Microplastics in Bioretention Systems and the Influence of Their Enrichment on the Treatment of Pollutants in the System].
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Researchers reviewed how bioretention systems, a low-impact stormwater management strategy, can remove microplastics from urban runoff through adsorption, filtration, and biodegradation. However, because microplastics resist degradation and have large surface areas, they tend to accumulate in these systems over time, forming composite pollution with other contaminants. The study found that microplastic accumulation altered soil properties, impeded plant growth, and reduced the system's ability to remove nutrients, particularly dissolved nitrogen.
Microplastics in Field-Installed Bioretention Systems: Vertical Distribution and Implications for Retention from Stormwater
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Researchers sampled microplastics at multiple depths inside a field-installed bioretention stormwater system and found average concentrations of roughly 1,095 particles per kilogram of dry sediment, with fragments dominating and evidence suggesting MPs migrate through the media, pointing to bioretention systems as a potentially useful but incompletely characterized filter for urban microplastic runoff.
Design of model microplastics to study their transport in urban waters
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Researchers designed model microplastic particles with controlled physical properties to systematically study their transport behavior in urban water systems. The work provides a foundation for understanding how microplastic size, density, and shape influence fate and transport in stormwater and urban drainage networks.
Plastic pollution risks in bioretention systems: a case study
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Researchers investigated plastic pollution in urban stormwater bioretention systems and found these green infrastructure features both accumulate microplastics from road runoff and risk leaching plastic particles into groundwater, raising concerns about their role as pollution pathways.
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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.