Papers

20 results
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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

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

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

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

Modeling of Microplastics Migration in Soil and Groundwater: Insights into Dispersion and Particle Property Effects

Researchers developed a mathematical model to predict how microplastics move through soil and into groundwater, accounting for particle size, shape, and water flow conditions. The model shows that smaller and rounder microplastics travel farther and deeper into groundwater systems, which is important for predicting contamination risks to drinking water wells.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Overlooked yet critical pathways for microplastics input to soil and groundwater system: Transport mechanisms and simulation predictions in landfill environments

Researchers systematically investigated how microplastics travel through landfill soils into groundwater, examining the effects of particle density, size, polymer type, temperature, and salinity on transport. The study used column experiments and computational modeling to reveal that landfill conditions create overlooked but critical pathways for microplastic contamination of soil and groundwater systems.

2025 Water Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Geometry-Driven Prediction of Microplastic Transport in Saturated Sediments: Fast and Memory-Efficient Pore-Scale Modeling

Scientists developed a new computer model that can predict how fast tiny plastic particles move through soil and sediment when water flows through them. This matters because microplastics can carry harmful chemicals like pesticides and heavy metals as they travel underground, potentially contaminating drinking water sources and groundwater. The model helps researchers understand where these plastic pollutants might end up and how quickly they could reach water supplies that people depend on.

2026
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

Experimental and mathematical investigation of cotransport of clay and microplastics in saturated porous media

This study investigated how microplastics travel through underground soil and sand, finding that clay particles in the soil can actually help microplastics move farther by changing how they interact with soil surfaces. The research developed a mathematical model to predict this movement. Understanding how microplastics travel through soil is important because it affects whether they reach and contaminate groundwater used for drinking.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics transport in soils: A critical review

This critical review examined how microplastics are transported through soils, evaluating the role of particle size and shape, soil texture, water flow, and bioturbation in governing vertical and lateral transport. The authors identify knowledge gaps in field-scale transport processes and call for standardized leaching experiments to improve predictions of microplastic mobility in terrestrial systems.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics transport in soils: A critical review

Researchers reviewed how microplastics move through soil, finding that their transport depends on a complex mix of particle properties, soil chemistry, water flow, and biological activity — and that these factors often interact in ways that produce contradictory results across studies. The review maps these knowledge gaps and calls for more controlled experiments to predict where microplastics accumulate and how they might reach groundwater or crops.

2025 Earth-Science Reviews 17 citations
Article Tier 2

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

This perspective article examines the challenges of modeling how microplastics move through soil and groundwater systems, noting that existing transport models designed for other particles fall short. Microplastic properties change dynamically as they interact with their environment, altering their density, surface chemistry, and movement behavior in ways that are difficult to predict. The study argues that new modeling approaches, potentially using data-driven methods, are needed to accurately predict microplastic transport at meaningful environmental scales.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 20 citations
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

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

Saturated hydraulic conductivity in microplastics incorporated soils: Effects of soil texture, polymer type, particle size, and concentration

Researchers measured saturated hydraulic conductivity in loam and sandy loam soils amended with PET, PVC, and PE microplastics of two size classes, finding that PET particles in sandy loam produced the highest conductivity values and that polymer hydrophobicity and particle size both influence soil water flow.

2025 Discover Polymers.
Article Tier 2

Integrated numerical modeling to quantify transport and fate of microplastics in the hyporheic zone

Researchers developed an integrated numerical model to simulate microplastic transport and retention in the hyporheic zone beneath streambeds, finding that particle size, density, and streambed morphology significantly influence microplastic infiltration dynamics.

2023 Water Research 30 citations
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

An insight into laboratory column experiments for microplastic transport in soil

This review synthesizes findings from laboratory column experiments on microplastic transport through soil, examining how particle size, shape, surface chemistry, and soil properties influence how far plastics migrate in the subsurface.

2024 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science
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

Simulating microplastic transport in unsaturated soil using HYDRUS-1D

Researchers used computer modeling to simulate how microplastics move through agricultural soil under different rainfall intensities and soil types, finding that sandy soils and higher rainfall cause microplastics to travel deeper and reach groundwater more quickly. The models showed that plastic type also matters — low-density polyethylene was the most mobile, raising concerns about microplastic leaching into water supplies from farming fields.

2026 Agricultural Water Management