Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effect of surfactants on the transport of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics in porous media

Researchers investigated how surfactants (common chemicals in detergents) affect the movement of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics through sand and soil. The study found that surfactants can help microplastics travel farther through porous materials, potentially increasing the spread of contamination. Factors like surfactant concentration, water chemistry, and flow rate all influenced how easily microplastics moved, suggesting that everyday chemicals may worsen microplastic pollution in groundwater.

2021 Water Research 207 citations
Article Tier 2

Cotransport of different electrically charged microplastics with PFOA in saturated porous media

Researchers examined how differently charged microplastics co-transport with PFOA through saturated porous media, finding that surface charge significantly influences both MP mobility and PFOA transport behavior, with implications for groundwater contamination.

2023 Environmental Pollution 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Particle size and co-presence of PFOA alter the transport of microplastics in saturated natural sediment

Researchers investigated how microplastic particle size and the co-presence of the contaminant PFOA affect microplastic transport through natural sediment. The study found that smaller microplastics were more mobile, while PFOA altered transport dynamics, indicating that co-occurring pollutants can influence how microplastics move through environmental substrates.

2024 Environmental Pollutants and Bioavailability 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Preliminary investigation on effects of size, polymer type, and surface behaviour on the vertical mobility of microplastics in a porous media

Laboratory sand column experiments investigated how microplastic size, polymer type, and surface chemistry influence retention and transport behavior in subsurface environments. Results showed that smaller particles and those with surface modifications traveled farther, informing predictions of microplastic migration in soils and groundwater.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Fluorinated environmental contaminants: Discovering relationships between Fluoropolymer-based microplastics and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)

Researchers examined the relationship between fluoropolymer-based microplastics, particularly polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), finding that PTFE particles can degrade over time and release harmful short-chain PFASs, raising concerns about this class of fluorinated environmental contaminants.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Cotransport of PFOA with Different Electrically Charged Plastic Particles in Saturated Porous Media

This study investigated how PFOA — a persistent industrial chemical — moves through porous media when combined with plastic particles of different electrical charges. Microplastics can alter the transport of PFOA in soil and groundwater, potentially increasing the spread of this toxic chemical in the environment.

2023
Article Tier 2

Effects of ionic strength, cation type and pH on the cotransport of microplastics with PFOA in saturated porous media

Researchers investigated how microplastics and the chemical contaminant PFOA interact when traveling together through saturated soil. The study found that microplastics generally inhibited PFOA transport through adsorption, while PFOA accelerated microplastic movement through electrostatic effects, demonstrating that co-contamination can alter the environmental fate of both pollutants.

2024 Chemosphere 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic Insights into PFAS Adsorption on Microplastics: Effects of Contaminant Properties and Water Chemistry

Researchers investigated how two widely detected PFAS compounds, PFOS and PFOA, adsorb onto five common types of microplastics in aquatic environments. The study found that contaminant properties and water chemistry significantly influence adsorption behavior, confirming that microplastics can serve as carriers for PFAS transport in waterways.

2026 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Transport of different microplastics in porous media: Effect of the adhesion of surfactants on microplastics

Researchers investigated how surfactant adhesion on different microplastic surfaces affects their transport through porous media, finding that surfactant interactions vary with microplastic type and significantly alter their mobility in subsurface environments.

2022 Water Research 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of perfluorooctanoic acid on microplastic transport in Northeast farmland soils: Based on irrigation mode

Researchers found that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination in irrigation water influences microplastic migration through three types of agricultural soils, with high PFOA concentrations and biochar additions both inhibiting downward microplastic movement into deeper soil layers.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

Transport and retention of polyethylene microplastics in saturated porous media: Effect of physicochemical properties

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics move through water-saturated sand and gravel, testing the effects of particle size, water chemistry, and flow speed. They found that smaller microplastics traveled farther through the porous material, while higher salt concentrations and lower flow rates increased particle retention. The findings help explain how microplastics may spread through groundwater systems under real-world conditions.

2025 Environmental Pollution and Management 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Polymer Type and Particle Concentration on Microplastic Transport Mechanisms in Saturated Porous Media

Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles move through soil and groundwater by testing different types of plastics at various concentrations. They found that the amount and type of plastic affects how far these particles travel underground, and that bacteria growing on the plastic surfaces can change how they move through soil. This research helps us better understand how microplastics might contaminate our drinking water sources and food supply.

2026
Article Tier 2

Fate, distribution, and transport dynamics of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in the environment

This review examines how PFAS, often called "forever chemicals," move through water, soil, plants, and air, with their ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bonds making them nearly indestructible in nature. While focused on PFAS rather than microplastics specifically, the two pollutants often co-occur and share similar concerns about persistence, bioaccumulation, and potential health effects.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Surfactant-mediated transport of polyvinyl chloride nanoplastics in porous media: Influence of natural organic matter, natural inorganic ligands and electrolytes

Researchers studied how surfactants affect the movement of polyvinyl chloride nanoplastics through soil and groundwater systems. They found that surfactants, particularly anionic ones, significantly enhance nanoplastic transport through porous materials, while certain minerals and organic matter can either help or hinder movement. The findings are important for understanding how nanoplastics spread through subsurface environments and potentially contaminate groundwater.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 4 citations
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

The individual transport, cotransport and immobilization with solar pyrolysis biochar of microplastics and plasticizer in sandy soil

Researchers tracked the individual transport, co-transport, and immobilization of microplastics in porous media, finding that plastic particle behavior differs significantly depending on surface charge and pore structure interactions. The results improve predictions of where microplastics migrate and accumulate in soils and aquifers.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Binary transport of PS and PET microplastics in saturated quartz sand: Effect of sand particle size and PET shape

Not all microplastics behave the same way when they enter groundwater or soil — their shape, size, and the plastic type all influence how far they travel. This study tracked how spherical and fragment-shaped microplastics of two polymer types (polystyrene and PET) moved through sand columns, finding that fragment-shaped particles were significantly less mobile than spheres, and that when both types were present together, the spheres helped carry fragments further by forming aggregates. These findings are important for predicting how microplastics contaminate groundwater and for designing remediation strategies.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of perfluoroalkyl substances on polyamide microplastics: Effect of sorbent and influence of environmental factors

Researchers studied how perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of persistent industrial chemicals, bind to polyamide microplastics in water. They found that smaller microplastic particles absorbed dramatically more PFAS than larger ones, and that water chemistry conditions like pH and salinity influenced the process. The findings suggest microplastics can concentrate harmful chemicals and potentially increase human and wildlife exposure to PFAS in contaminated environments.

2022 Environmental Research 81 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

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

Researchers investigated the behavior and transport of microplastics under saturated flow conditions in sediments and soils, examining how physical and chemical properties of microplastic particles influence their mobility through porous geological media. The study addressed knowledge gaps in understanding subsurface microplastic transport relevant to groundwater contamination and the fate of microplastics deposited in terrestrial environments.

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

Nanoplastics as carriers of organic pollutants in seawater-saturated porous media: a quantitative comparison of transport pathways

Researchers quantitatively compared transport pathways of non-polar organic pollutants carried by nanoplastics through seawater-saturated porous media, demonstrating that the carrier effect of nanoplastics is the primary mechanism inhibiting pollutant migration and enabling their co-transport in coastal and marine subsurface environments.

2025 Environmental Science Nano
Article Tier 2

Impact of Type and Shape of Microplastics on the Transport in Column Experiments

Controlled column experiments showed that microplastic particle shape and polymer type both influence how far microplastics travel through soil and aquifer material, with all tested types (polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester) being retarded compared to a dissolved tracer—fibers and fragments behaving differently from spheres. These findings help predict how microplastics contaminate groundwater and drinking water sources, and which particle characteristics most need to be targeted by filtration or remediation strategies.

2023 Ground Water 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced mobility and dynamic retention of nanoplastics in mineral coated porous media.

Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles move through different types of soil and sand that might be found in groundwater systems. They discovered that these nanoplastics travel much farther and faster through soil than previously thought, especially when water flows quickly. This matters because it suggests that plastic pollution from things like food packaging and cosmetics could spread more widely through our drinking water sources than we realized.

2026
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Interactions with PFAS and Co-transport in the Soil

This chapter reviewed the interactions between microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in soil, examining how these two persistent pollutants interact and co-transport through soil profiles. Their combined presence can amplify environmental risks by facilitating PFAS mobility and bioavailability beyond what either contaminant achieves independently.

2024 Microplastics 1 citations