Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Optimized and Validated Settling Velocity Measurement for Small Microplastic Particles (10–400 μm)

This study developed and validated a precise laboratory method for measuring how fast small microplastic particles (10–400 µm) sink in water — a key parameter for predicting where microplastics accumulate in aquatic environments. The setup uses a temperature-controlled settling column with optical particle tracking and achieves high accuracy across a range of particle sizes and densities. Accurate settling velocity data for small microplastics is essential for modeling their transport and fate in rivers, lakes, and oceans, which informs risk assessments for aquatic organisms that live at different depths.

2023 ACS ES&T Water 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Settling Velocities of Small Microplastic Fragments and Fibers

Researchers precisely measured the settling speeds of over 4,000 small microplastic particles in water and found that existing prediction models designed for larger microplastics do not work well for these tiny fragments and fibers. The settling speed depends on each particle's size, density, and shape, with the smallest particles sinking extremely slowly. Understanding how quickly microplastics settle in water is important because it determines how far they travel and how long they remain available to be consumed by aquatic organisms that humans may eventually eat.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 63 citations
Article Tier 2

An Open-Source Computer Vision-Based Method for Microplastic Settling Velocity Calculation

Researchers developed an open-source computer vision method to measure microplastic settling velocities from video recordings, enabling low-cost quantification of how particles of different sizes and densities sink in water columns with implications for predicting MP fate in aquatic environments.

2025 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Settling behaviors of microplastic disks in acceleration fall

Researchers studied the settling behavior of disk-shaped microplastics during free-fall in water, using high-speed imaging to track the orientation and velocity of particles as they descended. Disk-shaped particles exhibited oscillating and tumbling motions that slowed settling compared to spheres of equivalent mass, with implications for predicting microplastic transport and deposition in aquatic environments.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Settling Velocities of Tire and Road Wear Particles: Analyzing Finely Graded Density Fractions of Samples from a Road Simulator and a Highway Tunnel.

Researchers measured the terminal settling velocities of tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) from a road simulator and highway tunnel across different density and size fractions, providing the first empirical settling velocity data for these particles to support modeling of their transport in aquatic environments.

2025 Environmental science & technology
Article Tier 2

Settling velocity of submillimeter microplastic fibers in still water

The settling velocity of 519 submillimeter microplastic fibers (300-600 micrometers long) was measured in still water, finding that settling rates vary considerably by fiber length and orientation, informing models of microplastic fiber transport and deposition in aquatic systems.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Sedimentation behavior of aggregated microplastics: Influence of particle size and water constituents in environmental waters

Laboratory experiments investigated how aggregation of microplastics with sediments and organic matter affects their sinking rates in water, finding that aggregate composition strongly influences settling velocity. These findings improve models predicting whether microplastics sink to the seafloor or remain suspended in the water column.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Particle tracking algorithm and additional data for "Optimized and Validated Settling Velocity Measurement for Small Microplastic Particles (10–400 µm)"

This dataset and code repository accompanies a study on measuring the settling velocity of small microplastic particles (10–400 µm) in water. The materials include image processing routines and particle tracking algorithms designed to improve measurement accuracy for tiny plastic fragments. Accurate settling data helps predict how microplastics distribute in water bodies.

2023 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Sinking velocity of sub-millimeter microplastic

Researchers measured the sinking velocities of irregularly shaped microplastic particles (polyamide, PMMA, and PET, 6–251 μm) and found they sink considerably slower than theoretical predictions for spheres of equivalent size, developing a predictive model based on particle size and excess density to better represent how real-world microplastics settle through the water column.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 109 citations
Article Tier 2

The transport of tyre wear particles in rivers, with a focus on settling and resuspension

Researchers investigated the transport, settling, and resuspension behavior of tyre and road wear particles (TRWPs) in river systems compared to conventional microplastics, presenting initial characterization data on TRWP density and zeta potential and conducting mesocosm flume experiments to test hypotheses about their differential environmental fate.

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

A new model for the terminal settling velocity of microplastics

A new empirical model for the terminal settling velocity of microplastics was developed and validated using 1,343 experimental measurements covering a range of particle shapes and materials. The model improves predictions of microplastic sedimentation rates, which are critical for understanding how plastic particles are transported and deposited in water bodies.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Settling velocities of microplastics with different shapes in sediment-water mixtures

Researchers studied how the shape of microplastic particles affects how quickly they sink in water containing suspended sediment. They found that fibers and films settle much more slowly than fragments and pellets, and that sediment in the water significantly slows the settling of all microplastic types. These findings are important for predicting where microplastics accumulate in lakes, rivers, and oceans.

2025 Environmental Pollution 14 citations
Article Tier 2

An Open-Source Computer-Vision-Based Method for Spherical Microplastic Settling Velocity Calculation

Researchers developed an open-source computer vision method to measure the settling velocity of spherical microplastics, replacing subjective manual methods with automated image analysis. The tool provides a standardized, accessible approach for predicting microplastic transport and fate in aquatic environments.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Three-Dimensional Settling Dynamics of Environmental Microplastics

Researchers measured the three-dimensional settling dynamics of environmental microplastic particles in water, including lateral drift, settling paths, and horizontal velocities—dimensions poorly understood beyond simple vertical settling rates. The findings are essential for developing accurate models of how MPs distribute across river channels and water columns.

2026 Environmental Science & Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Additional data for "Settling Velocities of Small Microplastic Fragments and Fibers"

This data repository provides raw settling velocity measurements for small microplastic fragments and fibers, supporting a publication on their transport behavior in water. Settling velocity data is critical for modeling where microplastics deposit in rivers, lakes, and ocean sediments.

2023 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Settling velocity of microplastic particles having regular and irregular shapes

Researchers measured how quickly microplastic particles of various shapes settle through water, testing 66 different particle types including spheres, cylinders, fibers, and irregular fragments. They found that particle shape significantly affects settling speed, with fibers and flat shapes sinking more slowly than spheres of the same size. The study provides new equations for predicting where microplastics end up in oceans and waterways based on their shape.

2023 Environmental Research 86 citations
Article Tier 2

An experimental study on microplastic settling velocities in different water environments: Which factors shape the settling process?

Researchers experimentally investigated how biofilm formation and weathering processes affect the settling velocities of microplastics across different water matrices, identifying the key physical and biological factors shaping how particles sink in aquatic environments.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Sinking rates of microplastics and potential implications of their alteration by physical, biological, and chemical factors

Researchers conducted sinking experiments with diverse microplastic particles and found that sinking velocity depends not only on density and size but also on particle shape, and that biofouling and weathering can substantially alter sinking rates with implications for how microplastics distribute through the water column.

2016 Marine Pollution Bulletin 595 citations
Article Tier 2

Settling behaviors of microplastic disks in water

Researchers investigated the settling behavior of microplastic disk particles in water, finding that lighter disks sink in straight vertical paths while denser disks follow oscillating zigzag trajectories — differences that significantly influence microplastic transport and distribution in aquatic environments.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 14 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

Effects of Particle Properties on the Settling and Rise Velocities of Microplastics in Freshwater under Laboratory Conditions

Physical experiments quantified the settling and rise velocities of ~500 microplastic particles of varying shapes, sizes, and densities under controlled laboratory conditions, finding velocities ranging from 0.39 cm/s (settling polyamide fibers) to 31.4 cm/s (rising expanded polystyrene), with standard sediment transport formulas inadequate for fibers. The study provides empirical data needed to improve models of microplastic transport in rivers and lakes.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 425 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics and Sinking Behavior of Typical Microplastics Including the Potential Effect of Biofouling: Implications for Remediation

Researchers characterized how microplastics of different shapes sink through water, finding that shape is a critical factor, with films behaving very differently from spheres and fibers. The study also examines how biofouling on floating plastics can cause them to sink, with implications for designing filtration and remediation systems.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 257 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification and velocity measurement of microplastics based on machine learning

Researchers developed a machine learning framework to simultaneously track multiple microplastics in water and measure their terminal settling velocities, capturing particle interaction dynamics that conventional single-particle tracking methods miss.

2025 Water Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards better predicting the settling velocity of film-shaped microplastics based on experiment and simulation data

Researchers combined experimental and simulation data to better predict how film-shaped microplastics settle through water, since most existing models are based on spherical particles. They found that the particle definition approach was more suitable than equivalent spherical diameter for characterizing flat, irregular microplastics. The improved settling velocity predictions could help scientists better understand how film-shaped microplastics travel and accumulate in aquatic environments.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 10 citations