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Modelling microplastic and solute dispersion in fluvial environments
Summary
Researchers experimentally investigated the transport of microplastics through fluvial environments with submerged vegetation canopies, comparing dispersion and mixing of neutrally buoyant polyethylene microplastics and dissolved solutes across varying flow conditions. Longitudinal dispersion coefficients for microplastics and solutes were strongly correlated within vegetated flows regardless of canopy height or flow complexity, and a hydrodynamic model robustly predicted microplastic mixing. The findings show that existing solute transport models can be adapted to quantify microplastic fate in vegetated river systems.
Physical interactions of microplastics within vegetation and turbulent flows of freshwater systems are poorly understood. An experimental study was conducted to investigate the underlying physical transport mechanisms of microplastics over submerged canopies across a range of flow conditions common in the natural environment. The effects of changing canopy heights were investigated by testing two model canopies of varying stem heights, simulating seasonal variation. This study determined and compared the mixing and dispersion processes for microplastics and solutes and proposed a hydrodynamic model for quantifying microplastic mixing in submerged canopies. Longitudinal dispersion coefficients for neutrally buoyant microplastics (polyethylene) and solutes were significantly correlated within submerged model vegetation irrespective of the complexity of the flow regime. Hydrodynamic and solute transport models were shown to be capable of robust predictions of mixing for neutrally buoyant microplastics in environmental flows over a canopy, facilitating a new approach to quantify microplastic transport and fate.