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Shape Heterogeneity Facilitates the Transport of Certain Sized Nanoplastics and Eliminates Their Inhibition Effect on the Transport of Coexisting Other Sized Nanoplastics in Porous Media
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This study examined how nanoplastics of different sizes (50, 200, and 500 nm) move and bind together when passing through soil and sediment, finding that irregular particle shapes increase surface roughness and promote adsorption while also blocking other particle sizes from moving through pores. Understanding how nanoplastics travel through soil is essential for predicting how deeply they can penetrate into groundwater and ecosystems.
This study explored the cotransport and coadsorption of various sized (50, 200, and 500 nm) poly(methyl methacrylate) nanoplastics (PMMA NPs) in porous media with different sizes and the role that shape heterogeneity played in this process. It was found that this coadsorption process was dominated by competition for adsorption sites and the blocking effect. Heterogeneity and irregularity in shape brought greater roughness, specific surface area, and inhomogeneity in surface charge, promoting NP adsorption and inhibiting more other sized NP adsorption on porous media. However, there were significant differences between cotransport and coadsorption. PMMA NPs with 500 nm inhibited the transport of 50 and 200 nm PMMA NPs in fine quartz sand due to narrowing and even plugging of the pore throat, whereas they increased their transport in medium and coarse quartz sand owing to competition for adsorption sites. Shape heterogeneity increased the transport routes of certain sized NPs and weakened the narrowing and plugging of the pore throat by them, thus facilitating their transport in porous media, while eliminating their inhibitory effect on the transport of coexisting other sized NPs. This suggested that shape-heterogeneous NPs in real environments may have more severe environmental impacts than many results from studies using homogeneous NPs.
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Effect of shape on the transport and retention of nanoplastics in saturated quartz sand
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Researchers compared the transport of spherical versus toroid-shaped nanoplastics through quartz sand columns, finding that irregular toroid particles traveled significantly less far than spheres due to lower energy barriers and greater tendency to accumulate along pore walls — highlighting that particle shape must be considered when predicting nanoplastic fate in soil and groundwater.
Binary transport of PS and PET microplastics in saturated quartz sand: Effect of sand particle size and PET shape
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Not all microplastics behave the same way when they enter groundwater or soil — their shape, size, and the plastic type all influence how far they travel. This study tracked how spherical and fragment-shaped microplastics of two polymer types (polystyrene and PET) moved through sand columns, finding that fragment-shaped particles were significantly less mobile than spheres, and that when both types were present together, the spheres helped carry fragments further by forming aggregates. These findings are important for predicting how microplastics contaminate groundwater and for designing remediation strategies.
Microplastics/nanoplastics in porous media: Key factors controlling their transport and retention behaviors
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This review examines what controls how microplastics and nanoplastics move through soil and other porous materials like sand and sediment. Factors like particle size, shape, surface charge, water flow speed, and the presence of other pollutants all influence whether plastics stay in place or travel deeper into groundwater. Understanding these transport behaviors is important for assessing the risk of microplastics contaminating underground drinking water sources.
Key factors controlling transport of micro- and nanoplastic in porous media and its effect on coexisting pollutants
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Researchers reviewed the key factors that control how micro- and nanoplastics move through porous media such as soil and sediment, and how they affect the transport of co-occurring pollutants. They found that microplastics can either facilitate or inhibit the movement of other contaminants depending on particle properties and environmental conditions. The review emphasizes the need to better understand these co-transport dynamics for predicting the environmental fate of plastic pollution.
Micro- and nanoplastics retention in porous media exhibits different dependence on grain surface roughness and clay coating with particle size
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Researchers found that grain surface roughness and clay coatings affect the retention of microplastics and nanoplastics in porous media differently depending on particle size, with nanoplastics behaving oppositely to microplastics in certain soil conditions — complicating predictions of plastic transport in groundwater systems.
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