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Longitudinal dispersion of microplastics in aquatic flows using fluorometric techniques
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Researchers used fluorometric techniques to track the longitudinal dispersion of fluorescent-stained polyethylene microplastics in laboratory flumes, finding that neutrally buoyant microplastics behaved identically to a dissolved Rhodamine tracer and followed classical dispersion theory in uniform open channel flow. The findings suggest Rhodamine dye could serve as a valid proxy for modelling microplastic movement in natural water bodies.
Microplastics are an emerging environmental contaminant. Existing knowledge on the precise transport processes involved in the movement of microplastics in natural water bodies is limited. Microplastic fate-transport models rely on numerical simulations with limited empirical data to support and validate these models. We adopted fluorometric principles to track the movement of both fluorescent dye and florescent stained microplastics (polyethylene) in purpose-built laboratory flumes with standard fibre-optic fluorometers. Neutrally buoyant microplastics behaved in the same manner as a solute (Rhodamine) and more importantly displayed classical fundamental dispersion theory in uniform open channel flow. This suggests Rhodamine, a fluorescent tracer, can be released into the natural environment with the potential to mimic microplastic movement in the water column.
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Using fluorometric techniques to quantify microplastic transport in an experimental flume
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Researchers developed a fluorometric method for quantifying the spatiotemporal transport and retention of pore-scale microplastic particles in experimental flume studies. The technique provides a novel way to track microplastic movement through streambed sediments without destructive sampling.
Plastic drift : Mapping the course of microplastic transport in turbulent riverine flows.
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Researchers conducted laboratory experiments tracking the 3D trajectories of 24 negatively buoyant microplastic particles spanning a range of sizes, shapes, and densities in turbulent open channel flow, generating 720 trajectories to evaluate how well conventional sediment transport models apply to microplastics. Results revealed that the inherent variability in microplastic physical properties challenges direct application of sediment transport concepts to microplastic fate prediction in rivers.
Longitudinal Dispersion and Hyporheic Exchange of Neutrally Buoyant Microplastics in the Presence of Waves and Currents
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Laboratory experiments tracked neutrally buoyant microplastics (mimicking polyethylene density) under different water conditions including combined wave-current flows, finding that their movement through the water column closely resembles dissolved tracers — but that microplastics already lodged in a riverbed sediment exchange more slowly than solutes due to density-driven effects over longer timescales. Understanding these transport dynamics is essential for accurate models predicting where microplastics accumulate in river and coastal sediments.
Continuous Near-Bed Movements of Microplastics in Open Channel Flows: Statistical Analysis
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Particle tracking velocimetry experiments in a laboratory flume showed that near-bed microplastic transport in open channels follows a normal streamwise velocity distribution, with transport behavior varying significantly by particle type and hydraulic conditions.
Plastic drift : Mapping the course of microplastic transport in turbulent riverine flows.
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated the transport dynamics of 24 negatively buoyant microplastic particles across a spectrum of sizes, shapes, and densities using a 3D particle tracking system in turbulent open channel flow, generating 720 trajectories. They found that particle shape was the dominant determinant of transport behavior, with fibers tending to remain near the water surface at lower forward velocities while spheres stayed closer to the bed with higher forward velocities.
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.