We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Pore-scale visualization and microscale barrier mechanisms of microplastics transport in bio-based hydrogel modified soils
Summary
Researchers used pore-scale dynamic visualization to examine how bio-based hydrogel soil amendments affect microplastic transport and retention in porous media. The hydrogel modifications created microscale barriers that reduced microplastic mobility, suggesting soil stabilization techniques as a potential containment strategy.
Soil stabilization techniques, as a potential barrier method for microplastics (MPs) migration, remain underexplored in terms of their impact on MPs transport behaviors. To elucidate the influence of soil stabilization on MPs transport behaviors, a pore-scale dynamic visualization system was employed to unravel the intricate transport and retention mechanisms of MPs in bio-based hydrogel (BH)-modified porous media. Breakthrough curves (BTCs) and effluent concentrations collected from flow cells were used to quantitatively characterize MPs transport. Videos of MPs flow process captured from different scenarios revealed MPs can move along bulk flow in porous media via sliding, rolling, and saltating patterns. Scanning electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses unveiled microscopic retention mechanisms due to BH modification. Notably, BH-modified soil introduced a novel recirculation mode, attributed to stagnation zones created by BH. Compared with natural soil, where MPs typically deposit via sedimentation and physical straining, BH-modified soil exhibited a distinct deposition mechanism primarily driven by network entrapment. The MPs mobility showed pronounced sensitivity to environmental parameters with significant barrier effects observed under increased BH contents, higher sand density, and vertical flow conditions compared to horizontal flow. The maximum reduction of MPs mass recovery was 28.5 %. Our investigation visually deciphers the complex transport and retention patterns of microplastics in modified porous media, substantially expanding the current understanding of MPs' environmental fate and transport mechanisms.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Enhanced retention of microplastics in biopolymer-modified porous media: Insights from pore-scale visualization
Researchers introduced a plant-derived biopolymer (BDH) to modify porous media and demonstrated through pore-scale visualization that it significantly enhances retention of polymethyl methacrylate microplastics under varying flow conditions. Nuclear magnetic resonance tracking revealed that the biopolymer alters pore-space connectivity and creates attachment sites that reduce microplastic mobility in soils and groundwater systems.
Pore-Scale Visualized Transport and Retention of Fibrous and Fragmental Microplastics in Porous Media under Various Surfactant Conditions
Researchers used a pore-scale visualization system to observe how fibrous and fragmental microplastics move through porous media under different surfactant conditions. They found that fibrous microplastics had lower mobility because they tend to entangle and clog pore spaces, while fragmental particles moved more freely and responded differently to various surfactant types. The study provides detailed insight into how microplastic shape and surface chemistry influence their transport through soil and groundwater systems.
Transport and retention patterns of fragmental microplastics in saturated and unsaturated porous media: A real-time pore-scale visualization
Real-time pore-scale visualization using a microscope-coupled flow cell was used to track how fragmented microplastics move and deposit in saturated and unsaturated porous media, revealing distinct transport and retention patterns depending on water saturation conditions. The findings improve mechanistic understanding of how microplastics migrate through soils toward groundwater.
Pore-Scale Insights into Microplastic Fiber Transport and Retention in Porous Media
Pore-scale imaging and experiments revealed how microplastic fibers move through and get retained in soil and sediment pores, showing that fiber shape and size strongly influence transport distance and accumulation zones. Understanding these dynamics is key to predicting where microplastics accumulate in terrestrial and subsurface environments.
Pore-Scale Insightsinto Microplastic Fiber Transportand Retention in Porous Media
Researchers used a microfluidic cell to examine pore-scale transport and retention of polypropylene microfibers in porous media representative of agricultural soil, finding that fiber dimensions and elasticity strongly govern mobility and entrapment behavior. The study provides mechanistic insight into why agricultural soils accumulate microplastic fibers and how trapped fibers influence local flow dynamics.