We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Nanoplastic transport in aqueous environments: The role of chemo-electric properties and hydrodynamic forces for nanoplastic-mineral interaction.
AI summary Read the abstract
This study examined the role of chemo-electric properties and hydrodynamic forces in controlling nanoplastic interactions with mineral surfaces in aquatic environments. The findings characterize transport mechanisms relevant to understanding nanoplastic fate in rivers and groundwater systems.
The fate and transport characteristics of nanoplastic (NP) through different environmental systems is largely governed by physio-chemical processes and their specific interaction with environmental constituents (i.e., minerals, dissolved species, suspended particles). A hydrodynamic component present in almost all terrestrial and marine aqueous environments impact the physio-chemical processes micron-scale is largely overlooked in NP transport studies. Therefore, we tested the interaction behavior of nanosized plastic polystyrene particles of various coatings in the presence of minerals abundant in the Earth crust within a hydrodynamic continuum representing flow rates from groundwater to surface water systems. Our batch experiments show that particle-mineral adsorption is largely driven by the magnitude of opposite charge configurations, which is either produced by mineral type or specific nanoplastic surface coating. Zetapotential serves as a good predictor of adsorption between uncoated and carboxyl-coated polystyrene with minerals. It fails, however, to predict adsorption behavior between NH2 coated polystyrene and apatite or feldspars, due to the more complex and varying compositions of these minerals. Incorporating the hydrodynamic force component into the particle- mineral interaction scheme reproduces those adsorption trends at slow flowrates of 1e-04 m/d. However, increasing flow rates by a factor of 100 modifies charge-driven adsorption between minerals and plastics. This study highlights the unabating importance of hydrodynamic conditions when predicting nanoplastic transport in different subsurface environments, and has implications for nanoplastic behavior in both terrestrial and marine aqueous environments.
More Papers Like This
Nanoplastic transport in aqueous environments: The role of chemo-electric properties and hydrodynamic forces for nanoplastic-mineral interaction.
AI summary Read the abstract
This study examined how the physicochemical properties of nanoplastics and hydrodynamic forces govern their interaction with mineral surfaces in aquatic environments. The findings characterize transport and fate behavior of nanoplastics as they move through different environmental compartments.
Nanoplastic in aqueous environments: The role of chemo-electric properties for nanoplastic-mineral interaction
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how nanoplastics — plastic particles smaller than 1 micrometer — stick to common soil minerals underground, finding that simple electrical repulsion is less important than chemical bonding, metal ion bridging, and hydrogen bonds. Understanding these interactions is key to predicting how nanoplastics move through soil and contaminate groundwater.
Impactof Minerals(Ferrihydrite and Goethite) andTheir Organo-Mineral Complexes on Fate and Transport of Nanoplasticsin the Riverine and Terrestrial Environments
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how iron minerals ferrihydrite and goethite, along with their organo-mineral complexes, influence the mobility and transport of nanoplastics in riverine and terrestrial environments, finding that organic matter coatings substantially alter nanoplastic behavior compared to pure mineral phases.
Hydrophobic Interactions Drive the Attachment of a Model Nanoplastic on Hydrophobic Collector Surfaces
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used a model nanoplastic (charge-stabilized ethyl cellulose nanoparticles) in a glass pore network to demonstrate that hydrophobic interactions dominate nanoplastic attachment at solid-water and air-water interfaces in groundwater, establishing that hydrophobicity is a critical driver of nanoplastic fate and transport in the subsurface.
Impact of Minerals (Ferrihydrite and Goethite) and Their Organo-Mineral Complexes on Fate and Transport of Nanoplastics in the Riverine and Terrestrial Environments
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how common iron minerals and their organic matter complexes affect the movement and fate of nanoplastics in river and soil environments. The study found that pure minerals had higher sorption capacity for nanoplastics than their organo-mineral counterparts, and goethite-based systems caused greater aggregation and retention of nanoplastics, suggesting that soil mineral composition plays an important role in nanoplastic transport.
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.