Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Physics-based and data-driven strategies for simulating colloid behavior in fractured aquifer systems

This thesis developed physics-based and data-driven models for simulating how colloids — particles in the microplastic size range — move through fractured aquifer systems. Understanding subsurface transport of small particles is important for predicting how microplastics might move through groundwater.

2019 MacSphere (McMaster University)
Article Tier 2

Effects of input concentration, media particle size, and flow rate on fate of polystyrene nanoplastics in saturated porous media

Researchers systematically tested how input concentration, sand grain size, and flow rate control nanoplastic transport through saturated porous media, finding that nanoplastics are highly mobile under most conditions and — crucially — fragment into smaller sub-100 nm particles during long-term release, potentially increasing their environmental persistence and bioavailability.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 27 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

Regulatory role of mobile fine particles in anomalous solute transport in porous media.

Researchers used coupled computational fluid dynamics and discrete element method simulations to investigate how mobile fine particles regulate anomalous solute transport in porous media, finding that particle retention alters local flow fields and creates non-Fickian transport behavior in aquifer systems.

2026 Water research
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

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

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

Numerical simulation of microplastic permeation in soil: from solutes to particles

Researchers developed numerical simulations to predict breakthrough curves for microplastic permeation through soil, accounting for particle size relative to pore dimensions, flow dynamics, particle-media interactions, and potential pore clogging to model accumulation and transport in complex porous structures.

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

Clogging and Unclogging of Fine Particles in Porous Media: Micromechanical Insights From an Analog Pore System

This study uses computer simulations to understand how small particles clog and unclog pores in underground soil and rock formations. While focused on general fluid-particle physics rather than microplastics specifically, the findings help explain how microplastic particles travel through soil and groundwater systems. Understanding these transport mechanisms matters for predicting how microplastics move from contaminated land into underground drinking water sources.

2024 Water Resources Research 48 citations
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

Analysis and study of the migration pattern of microplastic particles in saturated porous media pavement

This study modeled how microplastic particles migrate through porous pavement during stormwater runoff, providing insights for designing urban road surfaces that could reduce microplastic transport into groundwater and waterways.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 6 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

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

Modeling and Parametric Simulation of Microplastic Transport in Groundwater Environments

Researchers developed a parametric simulation model specifically for microplastic transport in groundwater environments, addressing the inadequacy of existing dissolved-contaminant models for studying particulate plastic pollution in subsurface systems.

2021 Applied Sciences 28 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
Article Tier 2

Infiltration and Transport of PVC microplastic particles in saturated quartz sand columns

Researchers investigated the infiltration and transport behaviour of 125-200 micrometre PVC microplastic fragments through saturated quartz sand columns under varying flow rates, using morphological descriptors to characterise particle movement. The study aimed to understand how particle shape and flow conditions influence microplastic retention and breakthrough in subsurface porous media, relevant to groundwater contamination risk assessment.

2024
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

Experimental Confirmation of the Interception History Paradigm for Colloid (Micro and Nanoparticle) Transport in Porous Media

Laboratory experiments confirmed the interception history paradigm for colloid filtration under chemically unfavorable conditions, demonstrating that microplastics and other colloidal particles follow predictable deposition patterns in porous media—providing mechanistic data relevant to modeling MP transport through soils and aquifers.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitative Linking of Nanoscale Interactions to Continuum-Scale Nanoparticle and Microplastic Transport in Environmental Granular Media

Researchers successfully linked the atomic-scale forces between plastic nanoparticles and sand grains to predictions of how those particles move through soil and groundwater at larger scales. This advances the ability to model microplastic transport in the environment, which is important for assessing contamination of drinking water sources.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and transport of fragmented and spherical microplastics in saturated gravel and quartz sand

Researchers studied the fate and transport of fragmented and spherical microplastics through saturated gravel aquifer columns, finding that particle shape strongly influences transport distance, with fragments traveling farther than spheres.

2024 Journal of Environmental Quality 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Pore-Scale Visualized Transport and Retention of Fibrous and Fragmental Microplastics in Porous Media under Various Surfactant Conditions

Researchers used a pore-scale visualization system to observe how fibrous and fragmental microplastics move through porous media under different surfactant conditions. They found that fibrous microplastics had lower mobility because they tend to entangle and clog pore spaces, while fragmental particles moved more freely and responded differently to various surfactant types. The study provides detailed insight into how microplastic shape and surface chemistry influence their transport through soil and groundwater systems.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 12 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)