Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Experimental Confirmationof the Interception HistoryParadigm for Colloid (Micro and Nanoparticle) Transport in PorousMedia

Researchers experimentally confirmed the Interception History Paradigm for colloid transport in porous media, demonstrating that retention profiles for micro- and nanoplastics deviate from predictions of Colloid Filtration Theory under unfavorable surface interaction conditions. Their findings validate the role of interception history — prior contact events at grain surfaces — in explaining anomalous retention behavior of colloids including engineered nanomaterials and plastic particles.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Transport and deposition of microplastic particles in saturated porous media: Co-effects of clay particles and natural organic matter

Researchers performed column experiments to study how clay particles and natural organic matter affect microplastic transport through saturated porous media, finding that both colloids reduced MP mobility through heteroaggregation and that their combined presence produced the greatest reduction in transport.

2021 Environmental Pollution 124 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism comparisons of transport-deposition-reentrainment between microplastics and natural mineral particles in porous media: A theoretical and experimental study

Researchers compared the transport, deposition, and re-entrainment behavior of microplastic particles versus natural mineral particles in porous media, finding key differences driven by density, surface charge, and shape that affect how microplastics migrate through soils and sediments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport and retention mechanism of microplastics in saturated porous media: Dominance of layer sequence and modulation by solution chemistry

Researchers found that the layered sequence of sand structures in saturated porous media dominates microplastic transport and retention patterns, with coarse-to-fine layering trapping more particles than fine-to-coarse sequences, and solution chemistry further modulating these physical effects.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics retention in porous media exhibits different dependence on grain surface roughness and clay coating with particle size

Researchers found that grain surface roughness and clay coatings affect the retention of microplastics and nanoplastics in porous media differently depending on particle size, with nanoplastics behaving oppositely to microplastics in certain soil conditions — complicating predictions of plastic transport in groundwater systems.

2022 Water Research 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of clay minerals on the transport of nanoplastics through water-saturated porous media

Column experiments with clay-containing saturated porous media showed that clay minerals reduced nanoplastic transport by enhancing particle retention through bridging flocculation and charge neutralization, with kaolinite having greater retention effects than montmorillonite, informing predictions of nanoplastic mobility in clay-rich soils.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of deposition, detachment and aggregation processes on nanoparticle transport in porous media using Monte Carlo simulations

Researchers developed a 3D computational model to study how engineered nanoparticles move through porous soil and sediment, accounting for deposition, detachment, and aggregation. Similar models can be applied to understand how nanoplastics and small microplastics move through groundwater systems.

2021 Environmental Science Nano 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Particulate flow in porous media: experimental study and numerical modelling of microplastic transport in geomaterials

This study combined laboratory experiments and numerical modeling to examine how microplastic particles migrate through porous geomaterials, finding that transport behavior is similar to fine soil particles moving through hydrogeological environments. The results have implications for predicting microplastic contamination of groundwater.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastics/nanoplastics in porous media: Key factors controlling their transport and retention behaviors

This review examines what controls how microplastics and nanoplastics move through soil and other porous materials like sand and sediment. Factors like particle size, shape, surface charge, water flow speed, and the presence of other pollutants all influence whether plastics stay in place or travel deeper into groundwater. Understanding these transport behaviors is important for assessing the risk of microplastics contaminating underground drinking water sources.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Modeling microplastic transport through porous media: challenges arising from dynamic transport behavior

This perspective article reviews microplastic transport through porous media such as soils and aquifers, identifying the limitations of existing hydrogeological models and proposing research directions for more effectively modelling the dynamic, particle-specific transport behaviour of microplastics in porous environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

Effects of co-present mineral colloids on the transport of microplastics in porous media: The key role of hydrochemical and hydrodynamic conditions

Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles (microplastics) move through soil and sand when mixed with natural clay particles. They found that the combination of different clay types and water conditions can either help microplastics travel further underground or trap them in place. This research helps us better understand how microplastics might contaminate groundwater sources that provide our drinking water.

2026 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Behaviour and transport of microplastics under saturated flow conditions in sediments and soils

Researchers investigated the behaviour and transport of microplastics under saturated flow conditions in sediments and soils, examining how particle properties influence movement through porous media. The study aimed to improve understanding of subsurface microplastic fate and transport relevant to both soil and groundwater contamination.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Clogging and permeability reduction dynamics in porous media: A numerical simulation study

Researchers used computer simulations to study how tiny particles moving through porous materials — like soil or filtration media — clog pores and reduce water flow. Understanding these dynamics is directly relevant to how microplastics accumulate and move through sediments, soils, and engineered water treatment systems.

2023 Powder Technology 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Retention and transport behavior of microplastic particles in water-saturated porous media

Researchers investigated microplastic transport in water-saturated porous media using polystyrene microspheres, finding that particle size primarily determined retention behavior, with 50 nm particles showing high mobility while 500 nm particles exhibited greater attachment and slower migration.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 105 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport and Retention of Unstable Nanoparticle Suspensions in Porous Media: Effects of Salinity and Hydrophobicity Observed in Microfluidic Pore Networks

Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles move through soil and rock underground, which helps us understand what happens to microplastics in our environment. They found that salty water and oily surfaces cause these particles to clump together and get permanently stuck in the ground, which could affect how microplastics spread through groundwater. This research helps us better predict where microplastics might end up and how to design systems to trap them before they reach our drinking water sources.

2026
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Water Research 78 citations
Article Tier 2

A pore-scale investigation of microplastics migration and deposition during unsaturated flow in porous media

Researchers used microfluidic experiments to investigate microplastic migration and deposition during unsaturated flow in porous media, identifying multiple deposition patterns influenced by flow rate, particle size, volume fraction, and pore geometry.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Different inhibitory mechanisms of flexible and rigid clay minerals on the transport of microplastics in marine porous media

Experiments showed that flexible montmorillonite clay formed tight coatings around microplastics that retarded their transport through marine porous media, while rigid kaolinite formed weaker attachments that were more easily disrupted by high salinity.

2024 Environmental Pollution 5 citations
Article Tier 2

One-Dimensional Experimental Investigation of Polyethylene Microplastic Transport in a Homogeneous Saturated Medium

Researchers conducted one-dimensional column experiments to characterize the transport of polyethylene microplastics through saturated homogeneous granular media, using fluorescent tracers and inverse modeling to calculate hydrodynamic transport parameters and identify media characteristics that influence microplastic mobility in groundwater.

2022 Frontiers in Environmental Science 18 citations