Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Impact of particle size and oxide phase on microplastic transport through iron oxide-coated sand

Researchers studied how different types of iron oxide coatings on sand affect the movement of polystyrene microplastics through soil. They found that magnetite-coated sand retained the most microplastics, while goethite-coated sand retained the least, with results matching theoretical predictions. The findings suggest that naturally iron-rich soils could serve as effective barriers to prevent microplastic transport through groundwater systems.

2024 Water Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of solution chemistry and humic acid on the transport of polystyrene microplastics in manganese oxides coated sand

Column experiments showed that polystyrene microplastics had significantly lower mobility through manganese oxide-coated sand than bare sand due to electrostatic attraction and surface roughness, with humic acid increasing transport and co-transport with cadmium reducing it.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 109 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-transport of negatively charged nanoparticles in saturated porous media: Impacts of hydrophobicity and surface O-functional groups

Researchers studied how graphene oxide (GO) and polystyrene nanoplastics co-transport through saturated soil, finding that in sodium-rich conditions GO can carry nanoplastics through the medium, while calcium ions suppress movement of both by bridging particles to sand grains — with more abundant surface oxygen groups on GO amplifying this effect.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Interplay of compound pollutants with microplastics transported in saturated porous media: Effect of co-existing graphene oxide and tetracycline

Column experiments investigated how co-contaminants (graphene oxide and tetracycline) affect the transport of polystyrene microplastics through saturated porous media, finding that the presence of these compounds altered MP mobility and retention in ways depending on their concentration and soil properties.

2023 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on the transport and deposition of microplastics in quartz sand

Researchers investigated how titanium dioxide nanoparticles affect the transport of polystyrene microplastics through saturated quartz sand, finding that nTiO2 presence altered microplastic deposition behavior in ways dependent on ionic strength and pH, suggesting nanoparticle-microplastic interactions can influence contaminant mobility in soils.

2019 Environmental Pollution 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic types dominate the effects of bismuth oxide semi-conductor nanoparticles on their transport in saturated quartz sand

Column transport experiments found that the type of microplastic (polystyrene vs. polyethylene vs. polypropylene) dominated the effects of bismuth oxide semiconductor nanoparticles on microplastic mobility in saturated quartz sand, with different polymer-nanoparticle combinations showing distinct transport and retention behaviors.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Concentration, Surface Charge, and Natural Water Components on the Transport and Adsorption of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Sand Columns

Laboratory column experiments showed that nanoplastics made of polystyrene behave very differently in groundwater depending on their surface charge — positively charged particles were retained much more readily in sand than negatively charged ones, and the presence of natural organic matter in real lake water reduced the retention of both types. These findings matter for understanding whether nanoplastics released into the environment will travel through soil and reach drinking water sources, which depends critically on the plastic's surface chemistry.

2024 Nanomaterials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-transport of polystyrene microplastics and kaolinite colloids in goethite-coated quartz sand: Joint effects of heteropolymerization and surface charge modification

Column experiments showed that kaolinite colloids enhanced polystyrene microplastic transport through quartz sand but had more complex effects in goethite-coated sand, where the promotion depended strongly on ionic strength conditions due to heteropolymerization and surface charge modification.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 26 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

Transport characteristics of polystyrene microplastics in saturated porous media with biochar/Fe3O4-biochar under various chemical conditions

Biochar and iron oxide-modified biochar (Fe3O4-biochar) reduced the transport of polystyrene microplastics through sandy porous media by increasing surface attachment, with the effect modulated by humic acid concentration and ionic conditions. The findings suggest that biochar soil amendments could help immobilize MPs in contaminated agricultural soils and reduce their leaching to groundwater.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport of polystyrene nanoplastics in natural soils: Effect of soil properties, ionic strength and cation type

Researchers used column experiments across three soil types to show that polystyrene nanoplastic transport is governed by soil iron and aluminum oxide content and pH — with high-pH, low-oxide soils allowing up to 97% nanoplastic passage — and that calcium ions and higher ionic strength significantly increase retention, revealing that soil chemistry strongly controls nanoplastic mobility toward groundwater.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 290 citations
Article Tier 2

Cotransport and deposition of biochar with different sized-plastic particles in saturated porous media

Researchers studied how biochar and plastic particles (nanoplastics and microplastics) mutually affect each other's transport through water-saturated sand, finding that small plastic particles enhanced biochar mobility while biochar consistently suppressed plastic particle transport across all sizes, due to heteroaggregation altering surface charge and steric interactions.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 96 citations
Article Tier 2

Size effect of graphene oxide from quantum dot to nanoflake on the mobility of nanoplastics in seawater-saturated sand

Researchers investigated how different sizes of graphene oxide, from quantum dots to nanoflakes, affect the movement of nanoplastics through seawater-saturated sand. The study found that the smallest graphene oxide particles promoted nanoplastic mobility, while the largest ones completely blocked it by forming large aggregates that clung to sand surfaces, and these size effects were also dependent on water salinity levels.

2023 Water Research 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport behavior of micro polyethylene particles in saturated quartz sand: Impacts of input concentration and physicochemical factors

Laboratory sand column experiments showed that polyethylene microplastic transport is inhibited by high ionic strength (as it reduces the repulsion between particles and sand grains) but enhanced by fulvic acid (which increases surface charge repulsion). The study provides mechanistic data for predicting how microplastics move through soils under different environmental chemical conditions.

2020 Environmental Pollution 153 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

Micro- and nanoplastics retention in porous media exhibits different dependence on grain surface roughness and clay coating with particle size

Researchers found that grain surface roughness and clay coatings affect the retention of microplastics and nanoplastics in porous media differently depending on particle size, with nanoplastics behaving oppositely to microplastics in certain soil conditions — complicating predictions of plastic transport in groundwater systems.

2022 Water Research 38 citations
Article Tier 2

[Transport and Model Calculation of Microplastics Under the Influence of Ionic Type, Strength, and Iron Oxide].

Laboratory column experiments showed that calcium ions strongly inhibit the transport of polystyrene microplastics through quartz sand via bridging and charge neutralization effects, while iron oxide coatings on sand grains further reduce microplastic mobility through surface adsorption. Understanding these transport dynamics is important for predicting how microplastics move through soil and groundwater systems and assessing contamination risks to drinking water sources.

2023 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Transport and deposition behaviors of microplastics in porous media: Co-impacts of N fertilizers and humic acid

Inorganic and organic nitrogen fertilizers and humic acid were found to influence the transport and deposition of microplastics in porous media, with humic acid promoting microplastic mobility while ammonium chloride and urea had different effects on particle retention in soil columns.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport of polystyrene nanoplastics in porous media: Combined effects of two co-existing substances

Researchers studied how cationic and anionic surfactants interact with natural organic matter (humic acid and sodium alginate) to control polystyrene nanoplastic transport through porous media, finding that the dominant mobility mechanism switched from electrostatic (with cationic surfactants) to hydrophobic (with anionic surfactants), with organic matter amplifying each surfactant's effect.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-transport of arsenic and micro/nano-plastics in saturated soil

Column experiments found that 100 nm nanoplastic particles reduced arsenic transport in saturated sand by adsorbing arsenic ions, while 5 micron microplastics enhanced arsenic transport through electrostatic adsorption and pore plugging, demonstrating size-dependent and opposing effects of micro- and nanoplastics on co-contaminant mobility.

2023 Environmental Research 16 citations