We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Settling velocity of microplastic particles having regular and irregular shapes
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers measured how quickly microplastic particles of various shapes settle through water, testing 66 different particle types including spheres, cylinders, fibers, and irregular fragments. They found that particle shape significantly affects settling speed, with fibers and flat shapes sinking more slowly than spheres of the same size. The study provides new equations for predicting where microplastics end up in oceans and waterways based on their shape.
The settling velocities of 66 microplastic particle groups, having both regular (58) and irregular (eight) shapes, are measured experimentally. Regular shapes considered include: spheres, cylinders, disks, square plates, cubes, other cuboids (square and rectangular prisms), tetrahedrons, and fibers. The experiments generally consider Reynolds numbers greater than 10, extending the predominant range covered by previous studies. The present data is combined with an extensive data set from the literature, and the settling velocities are systematically analyzed on a shape-by-shape basis. Novel parameterizations and predictive drag coefficient formulations are developed for both regular and irregular particle shapes, properly accounting for preferential settling orientation. These are shown to be more accurate than the best existing predictive formulation from the literature. The developed method for predicting the settling velocity of irregularly-shaped microplastic particles is demonstrated to be equally well suited for natural sediments in the Appendix.
More Papers Like This
Settling velocity of microplastic particles of regular shapes
AI summary Read the abstract
This study measured the sinking velocities of spherical, cylindrical, and filament-shaped microplastic particles ranging from 0.5 to 5 mm, finding that shape strongly determines how quickly particles settle through the water column. Understanding settling behavior is essential for modeling how microplastics are transported and deposited in marine environments.
Settling velocities of microplastics with different shapes in sediment-water mixtures
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how the shape of microplastic particles affects how quickly they sink in water containing suspended sediment. They found that fibers and films settle much more slowly than fragments and pellets, and that sediment in the water significantly slows the settling of all microplastic types. These findings are important for predicting where microplastics accumulate in lakes, rivers, and oceans.
Settling behaviour of irregular-shaped polystyrene microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied the settling behavior of irregular-shaped polystyrene microplastics in water, finding that shape significantly affects how fast particles sink. Understanding settling behavior is important for predicting how microplastics distribute vertically in rivers and ocean water columns.
Sedimentation of Irregular Shaped Microplastics Under Steady and Dynamic Flow Conditions
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers conducted experiments to study how irregularly shaped microplastic particles settle under both steady and turbulent water flow conditions, finding that shape significantly affects sinking rates in ways not captured by models designed for spherical particles. Improved understanding of how real-world plastic particle shapes affect transport is needed for accurate environmental fate modeling.
Experimental investigation of settling velocity for cuboidal microplastic
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used 3D-printed cube-shaped microplastics to experimentally measure how fast these particles sink in water, testing 150 shapes ranging from fiber-like to flat plate forms across a wide range of flow conditions. Their new mathematical formulas predict sinking speed with about 88% accuracy, improving scientists' ability to model where microplastics end up in ocean environments.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.