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Impact of Type and Shape of Microplastics on the Transport in Column Experiments
Summary
Controlled column experiments showed that microplastic particle shape and polymer type both influence how far microplastics travel through soil and aquifer material, with all tested types (polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester) being retarded compared to a dissolved tracer—fibers and fragments behaving differently from spheres. These findings help predict how microplastics contaminate groundwater and drinking water sources, and which particle characteristics most need to be targeted by filtration or remediation strategies.
The pervasive nature of plastic and the longevity of plastics leaves a legacy of microplastics (MPs) that contaminate our environment, including drinking water sources. Although MPs have been documented in every environmental setting, a paucity of research has focused on the transport and fate of MPs in groundwater. Previous field and laboratory studies have shown that MPs can migrate through aquifer material and are influenced by environmental factors. This study used controlled column experiments to investigate the influence of polymer type (polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyester) and particle shape (fragment, fiber, and sphere) on MP retardation and retention. The results showed that all individual MP types investigated were retarded compared to the NaCl tracer, with a retardation factor ranging from 1.53 to 1.75. While hypothesized that presence of multiple types and shapes could change mobility, the results indicate that this hypothesis is not correct for the conditions tested. This study provides new insights into MP transport in groundwater systems based on the characteristics of MP particles. In addition, this study demonstrates the need for further research on types of MPs and under more conditions, especially in the presence of a mixture of types and shapes of MPs to gauge what is occurring in natural systems where many MPs are present together.
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