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Co-impacts of cation type and humic acid on migration of polystyrene microplastics in saturated porous media
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Researchers investigated how different cation types and humic acid concentrations affect the movement of polystyrene microplastics through saturated soil. The study found that aging accelerated microplastic migration under all conditions, while calcium ions and humic acid had complex interactive effects on microplastic transport and retention in porous media.
The aging process of microplastics (MPs) could significantly change their physical and chemical characteristics and impact their migration behavior in soil. However, the complex effects of different cations and humic acids (HA) on the migration of aged MPs through saturated media are not clear. In this research, the migration and retention of pristine/aged PSMPs (polystyrene microplastics) under combined effects of cations (Na, Ca) (ionic strength = 10 mM) and HA (0, 5, 15 mg/L) were investigated and analyzed in conjunction with the two-site kinetic retention model and DLVO theory. The findings showed that the aging process accelerated PSMPs migration under all tested conditions. Aged PSMPs were less susceptible to Ca than pristine PSMPs. Under Ca conditions, pristine/aged PSMPs showed higher retention than under Na conditions in the absence of HA. Furthermore, under Na conditions, the migration of aged PSMPs significantly increased at higher concentrations of HA. However, under Ca conditions, the migration of aged PSMPs decreased significantly at higher concentrations of HA. In higher HA conditions, HA, Ca, and PSMPs interact to cause larger aggregations, resulting in the sedimentation of aged PSMPs. The DLVO calculations and two-site kinetic retention models' results showed the detention of PSMPs was irreversible under higher HA conditions (15 mg/L) with Ca, and aged PSMPs were more susceptible to clogging. These findings may help to understand the potential risk of migration behavior of PSMPs in the soil-groundwater environment.
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Researchers used column experiments to investigate how aging, ionic strength, cation type, and humic acid affect the transport of microplastics through unsaturated sandy soil. Aged microplastics with more negative surface charge transported more readily than pristine particles, and humic acid and calcium ions both affected transport in ways dependent on their concentrations.
Transport and deposition behaviors of microplastics in porous media: Co-impacts of N fertilizers and humic acid.
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Researchers investigated how nitrogen fertilizers and humic acid in soil affect the transport and retention of microplastic particles through porous media in laboratory column experiments. They found that both inorganic and organic nitrogen fertilizers, combined with humic substances, influenced how far microplastics migrated through simulated soil, with implications for subsurface plastic contamination.
Cation dependent dynamics of sequential and cotransport processes of micro-polystyrene and soil colloids in porous media.
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Researchers showed that the co-transport of polystyrene microplastics and soil colloids through saturated sand is governed by cation valence and concentration: calcium enables bridging that locks both particles in place, while switching from calcium to sodium electrolytes releases large quantities of both, with soil colloids responding more sensitively than microplastics.
Effects of physicochemical factors on transport and retention of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) in homogeneous and heterogeneous saturated porous media
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Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics move through different types of underground soil and sand formations. They found that smaller sand grains, higher salt concentrations, and the presence of calcium ions all increased microplastic retention, while mixed soil layers created preferential flow paths that allowed some particles to break through faster. The findings help explain how microplastics could potentially contaminate groundwater aquifers.
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Inorganic and organic nitrogen fertilizers and humic acid were found to influence the transport and deposition of microplastics in porous media, with humic acid promoting microplastic mobility while ammonium chloride and urea had different effects on particle retention in soil columns.
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