Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Infiltration Behavior of Microplastic Particles with Different Densities, Sizes, and Shapes—From Glass Spheres to Natural Sediments

Laboratory column experiments showed that microplastic infiltration depth in sediment increases as particle size decreases and sediment grain size increases, with spherical particles penetrating deepest and fibers infiltrating least. The results help define appropriate sampling depths for environmental microplastic monitoring depending on sediment type.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 223 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigations on microplastic infiltration within natural riverbed sediments

Researchers used laboratory flume experiments to investigate how sediment grain size affects the infiltration of four types of microplastics (PET spheres, PET ellipsoids, polystyrene fragments, and polyamide fibers) into riverbed sediments. Sediment particle size, microplastic shape, and density were key factors controlling how deeply microplastics penetrate into the hyporheic zone.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Subsurface transport of microplastic particles in gravel columns: Impacts of different rain events and particle characteristics

Researchers conducted column experiments using pre-stained microplastic particles of two density types in gravel sediment to investigate how different rainfall intensities and land-use scenarios influence the vertical transport and retention of microplastics in subsurface environments. The study found that both particle density and rainfall event characteristics significantly affected microplastic mobility through subsurface sediments, informing models of microplastic fate in soil-water systems.

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

Evaluating factors influencing microplastic mobility in sediments through visualization and experiments

Researchers used micro-CT imaging to visualize three-dimensional transport pathways of microplastics through gravel and sand sediments relevant to riverbank filtration, finding that smaller sediment pore sizes restrict microplastic mobility and that particle properties such as shape, size, and polymer density influence infiltration depth.

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

Evaluating factors influencing microplastic mobility in sediments through visualization and experiments

Researchers used micro-CT imaging to visualize three-dimensional transport pathways of microplastics through gravel and sand sediments relevant to riverbank filtration, finding that smaller sediment pore sizes restrict microplastic mobility and that particle properties such as shape, size, and polymer density influence infiltration depth.

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

Subsurface transport of microplastic particles in gravel columns: Impacts of different rain events and particle characteristics

Researchers conducted column experiments using 110 cm wet-packed fine gravel columns to examine subsurface transport of two microplastic types — polystyrene (denser than water) and polyethylene (less dense than water) at 50 µm median size — under different simulated rainfall scenarios including continuous rain, wet-dry cycles, and single events followed by drying. They found that particle density, rainfall pattern, and subsurface heterogeneity all influenced microplastic vertical transport and retention depth in gravel sediments.

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

Denser microplastics migrate deeper? Effect of particle density on microplastics transport in artificial and natural porous media

Researchers conducted saturated column experiments with polyethylene microspheres of different densities in glass bead and gravel porous media to investigate how particle density affects microplastic transport behavior, finding that density significantly influences MP fate and providing transport model fits with R2 above 82.3%.

2024
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

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

Impact of particle density on the mobility of microplastics in sediments

This study investigates how the density of microplastic particles affects their mobility through soil and potential to reach groundwater, using column experiments with polyethylene particles of different densities. Particle density was found to influence transport behavior, with implications for understanding how microplastics migrate through terrestrial environments.

BOK:ePub (Universitätsbibliothek der Universität f Bodenkultur Wien)
Article Tier 2

Subsurface transport of microplastics in riverine sediment: Impacts of different rain events and particle density

Microplastics added to the surface of riverbed gravel columns gradually migrate deeper into the sediment as rain events accumulate, especially through repeated wet-dry cycles. Both polystyrene (denser than water) and polyethylene (less dense) particles traveled deeper over time, with smaller, less hydrophobic particles moving farthest. This shows that riverine sediment is not just a permanent sink for microplastics but can also funnel them downward into groundwater aquifers and subsurface habitats.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the Behavior of Microplastics in Fluvial Systems: Infiltration and Retention Dynamics in Streambed Sediments

Scientists used laboratory river-bed simulations to study how microplastics move from surface water down into streambed sediments. Smaller particles (1 micrometer) penetrated deeper into the sediment than larger ones, and higher water flow pushed more particles downward. This research helps explain how microplastics accumulate in river beds, which serve as both drinking water sources and habitats for aquatic organisms.

2024 Water Resources Research 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Flume experiments on transport and deposition behavior of microplastics in sediment bed environments

Researchers ran 42 flume experiments with three model sediments and spherical microplastics of varying size and density, finding that deposition depth is governed by sediment porosity and the grain-to-particle diameter ratio, while transport is primarily controlled by particle density and initial placement, providing data to improve MP mass balance models.

2026 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Transport and accumulation of plastic particles on the varying sediment bed cover: Open-channel flow experiment

Researchers conducted open-channel flow experiments to study how various plastic particles of differing shape, size, density, and flexibility are transported and retained across sediment beds of varying grain size, finding that friction-driven retention zones consistently form at boundaries between finer and coarser sediments, offering a mechanism to explain the patchy distribution of microplastics in seafloor sediments.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 14 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 micro-polystyrene in coarse riverbed sediments: effects of flow velocity, particle and sediment sizes

Researchers conducted column experiments to investigate how polystyrene microplastic fragments are transported and retained in coarse riverbed sediments under different flow conditions. They found that most particles were captured in the upper 15-20 centimeters of sediment, but smaller fragments between 100-500 micrometers could penetrate to depths of at least 50 centimeters. The study suggests that riverbeds can act as both temporary sinks and long-term retention sites for microplastics, slowing their transport from streams to oceans.

2024 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 17 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

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

Studying the effect of moving sandy bedforms on the infiltration behavior of microplastic particles

This laboratory study investigated how microplastic particles move through sandy riverbeds when the sediment itself is in motion. Results showed that natural sand movement significantly affects where microplastics end up, which has important implications for understanding how plastics accumulate in freshwater ecosystems.

2023
Article Tier 2

Research on the Migration and Transformation Behavior of Microplastics in Groundwater Systems and Their Ecological Health Risks

Using column experiments, field monitoring, and adsorption studies, this research found that polyethylene microplastics smaller than 50 μm can penetrate clay barriers and migrate deep into groundwater systems, with particle size and aquifer porosity being the primary factors governing underground transport.

2025 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Microplastic infiltration into mobile sediments

Researchers used an annular flume to simulate how microplastic particles infiltrate into sandy river sediments as bedforms migrate. They found that particle size was the most important factor determining how deep microplastics penetrated into the sediment, while bedform speed and particle density had less influence. The study reveals that smaller microplastics can be buried deeper in river sediments, making them harder to detect and potentially creating long-term contamination reservoirs.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport of polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate and polymethyl methacrylate microplastics in porous media under gradient ionic strength

Researchers used column experiments to study how four types of microplastics — polypropylene, PVC, PET, and PMMA — move through soil-like porous media under different salt concentrations. They found that increasing salinity reduces microplastic mobility by causing particles to stick to sand surfaces, which has implications for predicting how far microplastics can travel through soils to reach groundwater.

2023 Environmental Pollutants and Bioavailability 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Experimental and simulated microplastics transport in saturated natural sediments: Impact of grain size and particle size

Researchers tested how microplastics of different sizes move through natural soil and sediment layers, finding that smaller particles (10-20 micrometers) passed through easily while larger ones got trapped. In gravel, over 85% of the smallest microplastics made it through the sediment column. This means microplastics on the land surface can gradually leach down into underground aquifers that supply drinking water, representing a potential route of human exposure.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 34 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