Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Understanding the dynamics of microplastics transport in urban stormwater runoff: Implications for pollution control and management

Researchers modeled how microplastics travel through urban stormwater runoff into water bodies. They found that a microplastic's shape, size, and density strongly influence whether it settles or floats during transport, and that local factors like street slope and surface friction significantly affect how quickly particles reach storm drains. The findings could help cities design better stormwater management strategies to capture microplastics.

2024 Environmental Pollution 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Coupled CFD-DEM modelling to assess settlement velocity and drag coefficient of microplastics

Researchers used computational fluid dynamics coupled with particle simulations to model how the size, shape, and density of microplastics affect their settling velocity and drag in water. Accurate physical models of microplastic behavior are essential for predicting where particles accumulate in rivers, lakes, and the ocean.

2020 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Design of model microplastics to study their transport in urban waters

Researchers designed model microplastic particles with controlled physical properties to systematically study their transport behavior in urban water systems. The work provides a foundation for understanding how microplastic size, density, and shape influence fate and transport in stormwater and urban drainage networks.

2025 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in a Large Constructed Wetland: Retention, Transport, and Characteristics

This study examined microplastic dynamics in a large constructed wetland, finding that the wetland acts as a net sink for microplastics with retention varying by particle size and shape, and identifying flow velocity as a key driver of transport behavior.

2024 Environmental Engineering Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Systematic Evaluation of Physical Parameters Affecting the Terminal Settling Velocity of Microplastic Particles in Lakes Using CFD

Researchers used computational fluid dynamics to systematically evaluate how physical parameters including size, shape, density, and surface roughness affect microplastic settling velocity in lakes, finding that particle shape and density are the most influential factors determining residence time.

2022 Frontiers in Environmental Science 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Modeling Microplastic Dispersion in the Salado Estuary Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Researchers employed computational fluid dynamics modeling to simulate microplastic dispersion in the Salado Estuary, examining how industrial activities and plastic waste degradation drive transport dynamics of microplastics through the estuarine system.

2025 Fluids
Article Tier 2

Quantifying the influence of size, shape, and density of microplastics on their transport modes: A modeling approach

Researchers developed a computer model that predicts how microplastics of different sizes, shapes, and densities move through ocean water. The model accurately simulates whether particles float on the surface, stay suspended in the water column, or settle to the bottom. Understanding how microplastics travel through marine environments is important for predicting where contamination accumulates and which seafood sources are most likely to be affected.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Numerical Study of Microplastic Dispersal in Simulated Coastal Waters Using CFD Approach

Researchers used CFD numerical simulations to model microplastic dispersal in simulated coastal waters, investigating how particle type, size, shape, flow velocity, and temperature affect the transport and distribution patterns of PET, PU, and polypropylene microplastics.

2021 Water 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Bedload transport rates of microplastics on natural sediments under open channel flow: The role of exposure in acceleration

Researchers developed a new model for predicting how microplastics are transported as bedload in rivers, combining computational fluid dynamics with laboratory experiments. They found that exposed microplastics on the sediment surface move at higher transport rates than natural sediment particles of similar size, potentially spreading contamination over wider areas. The model provides a practical tool for engineers assessing how microplastic pollution disperses through waterway systems.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Lagrangian Model for Microplastics Transport in Rivers

Researchers developed a Lagrangian computational model to simulate how microplastics are transported through river systems, accounting for particle buoyancy, turbulence, and settling behavior. The model provides a tool for predicting microplastic fate and accumulation in freshwater environments.

2024 Jornadas de jóvenes investigadores del I3A
Article Tier 2

Transport dynamics of microplastics from land to sea: the role of particle properties and stream morphology.

Researchers measured how particle properties including size, density, and polymer type interact with stream morphology to determine microplastic transport distances in 15 streams. Both plastic characteristics and stream structure independently influenced how far microplastics travel before settling, with implications for estimating fluxes to the ocean.

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

Modeling Microplastic Dispersion in the Salado Estuary Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Researchers used computational fluid dynamics software to simulate how polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastic particles move through a section of the Salado Estuary in Guayaquil, Ecuador, under realistic tidal and flow conditions. The simulations revealed how particle size, density, and hydrodynamic forces interact to distribute plastics through the estuary, and identified zones of highest accumulation. This modeling approach offers a cost-effective way to guide sampling efforts and predict where microplastics concentrate in estuarine systems in the absence of comprehensive field data.

2025 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Computational Analysis of Microplastics Hydrodynamics in Laboratory Experiment

Researchers conducted computational simulations of microplastic hydrodynamics in an open channel using OpenFOAM with turbulent flow modelling, validating the simulation against laboratory experimental results and examining how particle properties influence settling behaviour.

2024 Repository of the University of Rijeka Library
Article Tier 2

Dispersal and transport of microplastic particles under different flow conditions in riverine ecosystem

Researchers developed a particle-tracking model combined with hydrodynamic simulation to study how microplastics travel through river systems under different water flow conditions. They found that flow speed, turbulence, and river channel features significantly influence where microplastics accumulate and how far they travel. The study provides a useful tool for predicting microplastic transport patterns and identifying pollution hotspots in river ecosystems.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 80 citations
Article Tier 2

Simulating microplastics path in human airways

This study used computational fluid dynamics to simulate how microplastic particles of varying sizes and shapes travel through human airways, generating data to inform understanding of deposition patterns and respiratory health risks.

2024 Scilight
Article Tier 2

Catchment-scale mechanistic predictions of microplastic transport and distribution across land and water

Researchers developed the first catchment-scale model successfully predicting microplastic transport from land to water, validated against field data, revealing how soil accumulation, runoff dynamics, and in-stream transport interact to determine where microplastics concentrate before reaching the ocean.

2022 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Modified Stochastic Model for Settling and Rising Microplastic Transport in Open Channel Flows

Scientists created a new computer model to better predict how tiny plastic particles move through rivers and streams. Unlike previous models that assumed all particles sink like dirt and sand, this new model accounts for the fact that some microplastics float upward because they're lighter than water. This better understanding of where microplastics end up in waterways could help protect drinking water sources and reduce human exposure to plastic pollution.

2026
Article Tier 2

Modeling impacts of river hydrodynamics on fate and transport of microplastics in riverine environments

Researchers built a computer model to simulate how microplastics travel and transform in river systems, accounting for particle aggregation and breakage driven by water flow. They found that microplastics clump together significantly in the early stages after entering a river, which changes the size distribution of particles flowing downstream. The study suggests that river conditions play a major role in determining what size and form of microplastics eventually reach the ocean.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Sensitivity of Microplastic Accumulation Zones in Rivers Using High-Performance Particle Transport Modelling

Researchers applied high-performance particle transport modelling to explore the sensitivity of microplastic accumulation zones in rivers, identifying key hydrodynamic factors that govern where microplastics concentrate. The modelling approach provides a tool for predicting hotspot areas of microplastic deposition in fluvial environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

Factors Controlling Transport Dynamics of Microplastics in Streams

Researchers tracked how microplastics of different sizes and polymer types travel through 15 urban streams with varying levels of human modification. They found that smaller, denser particles traveled shorter distances and settled faster, while stream channel complexity and flow conditions strongly influenced transport patterns. The study provides some of the first field-based measurements of how microplastics move through real waterways on their journey from land to sea.

2024 ACS ES&T Water 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport and Fate of Microplastics in Terrestrial Environments: The Role of Surface Runoff, Root-Mediated Infiltration, and Fragmentation-Driven Mobility

Researchers investigated the transport and fate of microplastics in terrestrial environments through three key processes -- surface runoff, root-mediated infiltration, and fragmentation-driven mobility -- applying classical sediment transport principles to microplastic movement. Field studies and laboratory experiments examined how particle characteristics such as density, size, and shape influence microplastic distribution across agricultural and natural landscapes.

2025 Qucosa (Saxon State and University Library Dresden)
Article Tier 2

Plastic drift : Mapping the course of microplastic transport in turbulent riverine flows.

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.

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

Hydrodynamics of terrestrial nano- and microplastics: simulating seasonal retention and first-flush emissions

Scientists created a computer model to track how tiny plastic particles (smaller than a grain of rice) move through the environment when it rains and floods. They found that these microplastics build up on land during dry periods, then get washed into rivers and waterways in large amounts during the first big rainstorm - called a "first flush" effect. This research helps us better understand how plastic pollution spreads through our water systems, which is important since these tiny plastics can end up in our drinking water and food.

2026
Article Tier 2

Computational Analysis of Microplastics Hydrodynamics

Researchers developed a numerical model in Python and OpenFOAM to simulate microplastic particle dynamics in laminar open-channel flow, finding that particles smaller than 0.5 mm are unlikely to settle regardless of sphericity index, with results validated on a supercomputer.

2024 Repository of the University of Rijeka Library