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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Investigations on microplastic infiltration within natural riverbed sediments
ClearInfiltration 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.
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.
Infiltration and retention of micro/nanoplastics in the hyporheic zone of rivers
This study combined flume experiments and numerical simulations to investigate how microplastics infiltrate the hyporheic zone (the sediment beneath rivers). Most microplastics accumulated in surface sediment layers, with hydrodynamic conditions and particle properties—especially size and density—critically controlling how deep particles penetrate.
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.
The effects of streambed movement and particle size on microplastic deposition
Researchers conducted flume experiments using polypropylene fibers and polystyrene microspheres in sandy streambeds to examine how streambed motion and particle size influence microplastic deposition, finding that both factors significantly affect burial rates in riverine systems.
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.
Microplastic transport in rivers and their hyporheic zone – combining modeling and experiment
Researchers combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations with flume experiments to investigate the transport and fate of small polystyrene microplastic particles (1, 3, and 10 micrometres) in a rippled sandy streambed, including exchange into the hyporheic zone. Using a novel fluorescent MP detection system, they quantified how particle size and hydrodynamic conditions govern microplastic retention and hyporheic exchange in riverbed sediments.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Trapped microplastics within vertical redeposited sediment: Experimental study simulating lake and channeled river systems during resuspension events
Researchers simulated sediment resuspension events to study how microplastics of different densities, sizes, and shapes become trapped within redeposited sediment layers, finding that particle properties strongly influence vertical redistribution patterns in lake and river systems.
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.
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.
The effects of stream water velocity, streambed celerity, and particle properties on microplastic deposition in streams
Researchers conducted laboratory flume experiments to examine how stream water velocity, bedform movement, and microplastic particle properties (material type PET/PP/PA and fiber length 25-200 µm) influence the deposition dynamics of microplastics in sandy streambeds, finding that bedform movement and particle characteristics significantly affected deposition rates and sediment distribution patterns.
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.
Influence of sediment size on microplastic fragmentation
Researchers examined how sediment grain size influences the physical fragmentation of microplastics in river environments, where the mechanical controls on microplastic storage, remobilization, and transfer pathways remain poorly understood. The study found that sediment size plays a meaningful role in breaking down plastic particles, contributing to the generation of smaller microplastic fragments in fluvial systems.
Microplastic and natural sediment in bed load saltation: Material does not dictate the fate
Researchers investigated how microplastics move as bed load in river flows and found that transport behavior in saltation was governed primarily by particle size, shape, and density rather than material composition, suggesting that microplastics follow similar transport mechanics as natural sediment.
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.
Laboratory Experiments on the Transport of Microplastic Particles in Gravel and Sand Sediments
Researchers used column experiments to study the transport and infiltration behavior of PET, POM, PMMA, and PS microplastic particles across a range of sizes and densities in gravel and sand sediments, employing a novel ice-embedding technique to introduce particles and measuring their depth distribution after three days of flow.
Riverbed depth-specific microplastics distribution and potential use as process marker
Researchers examined the depth-specific distribution of microplastics in riverbed sediments, finding that particle concentration and type varied significantly with sediment depth. The findings suggest that riverbeds act as significant microplastic sinks, with deeper layers representing older accumulation zones.
Impact of Type and Shape of Microplastics on the Transport in Column Experiments
Controlled column experiments showed that microplastic particle shape and polymer type both influence how far microplastics travel through soil and aquifer material, with all tested types (polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester) being retarded compared to a dissolved tracer—fibers and fragments behaving differently from spheres. These findings help predict how microplastics contaminate groundwater and drinking water sources, and which particle characteristics most need to be targeted by filtration or remediation strategies.
Modelling the Fate of Microplastics in river bed sediments.
Researchers modeled microplastic transport, deposition, and burial in river bed sediments under varying hydrological conditions. River bed sediments were found to act as long-term reservoirs for microplastics, with periodic high-flow events temporarily resuspending and redistributing particles.
Longitudinal and Vertical Transport of Microplastic Within Sediment in Rivers and Transitional Water Environments
Researchers investigated the longitudinal and vertical transport of microplastics within sediments in rivers and transitional water environments, developing models to quantify how sediment presence affects microplastic mobility and their transport toward coastal areas.