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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Enrichment of Scavenged Particles in Jet Drops Determined by Bubble Size and Particle Position
ClearWater–air transfer rates of microplastic particles through bubble bursting as a function of particle size
Researchers studied how microplastic particles transfer from water to air through bubble bursting, testing polystyrene particles of various sizes. The study found that smaller particles were ejected more efficiently by jet drops, with transfer rates depending on particle size and air flow, suggesting that bubble bursting at water surfaces may be an important but underrecognized pathway for microplastic transport into the atmosphere.
Jet Drop Enrichment: A Low-Cost Method for Simultaneous PFAS and Microplastics Removal from Drinking Water
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and tiny microplastics are two of the hardest contaminants to remove from drinking water, and this study proposes a surprising solution: harnessing the micro-bubbles that naturally burst at a water surface, which fling surface-active pollutants into tiny airborne droplets that can be collected. The method achieved up to 99% removal of long-chain PFAS and fine microplastics simultaneously, and when combined with a resin pre-treatment step, also captured shorter-chain PFAS at over 90% efficiency. This bubble-based approach is low-energy, low-cost, and could complement existing water treatment infrastructure.
Wettability of microplastic particles affects their water-to-air ejection via bubble bursting.
Researchers experimentally investigated how the wettability of microplastic particles influences their transfer from water to air via bubble bursting, using 1 micron diameter polystyrene particles with contrasting hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface modifications and finding that particle wettability significantly affects enrichment into aerosolized jet droplets.
The rise and rupture of bubbles: applications to biofouling, microplastic pollution, and sea spray aerosols
Researchers studied how rising air bubbles in water collect microplastics and bacteria on their surfaces and transport them to the liquid surface, and how bubble bursting then launches these particles into the air as sea spray — with implications for both aquatic contamination and airborne microplastic exposure.
Wettability of microplastic particles affects their water-to-air ejection via bubble bursting.
Researchers experimentally investigated how the wettability (hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity) of microplastic particles affects their enrichment into jet droplets ejected when bubbles burst at the ocean surface, providing new insight into the mechanisms by which microplastics are transferred across the air-sea interface and potentially aerosolized.
Numerical simulations of bursting bubbles: effects of contamination on droplet ejection and micro- and nanoplastics transport
Scientists used computer simulations to study how tiny plastic particles get launched into the air when bubbles pop at water surfaces, like in oceans or wastewater treatment plants. They found that contaminants in the water change how bubbles burst and affect how many droplets containing microplastics are released into the air we breathe. This research helps us better understand how microplastics from polluted water can end up in the atmosphere and potentially impact human health through inhalation.
Enrichment of microplastic pollution by micro-nanobubbles
Researchers investigated micro-nanobubbles as a novel technique for concentrating and removing microplastic pollution from water, finding that bubble-particle interactions can significantly enrich microplastic concentrations and offer a promising avenue for remediation.
Effect of wettability on microplastic aerosolization via film and jet drops ejected from bursting bubbles
Researchers experimentally investigated how wettability of microplastic particles affects their aerosolization via film drops and jet drops ejected from bursting bubbles at the ocean surface. They found that particle wettability significantly controls the probability of microplastic inclusion in ejected droplets, with implications for understanding how microplastics transfer from the ocean surface into the atmosphere.
Nanoscale insight into the interaction mechanism underlying the transport of microplastics by bubbles in aqueous environment
Nanoscale experiments revealed that bubble capture of microplastics in water is governed by hydrophobic interactions and surface charge complementarity between bubbles and MP particles. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for modeling the role of bubbles in transporting MPs from water to air-water interfaces and across environmental compartments.
Enhanced microplastic removal using a mini-hydrocyclone with microbubbles
Researchers improved microplastic separation from water by combining mini-hydrocyclones with microbubble injection, finding that the microbubbles reduced apparent microplastic density and substantially improved separation efficiency for particles with densities similar to water.
Modeling of vertical microplastic transport by rising bubbles
This study modeled the vertical transport of microplastic particles by rising bubbles in the ocean, finding that bubble-mediated transport significantly enhances surface concentration of microplastics and helps explain why surface measurements often show higher particle densities than bulk water predictions suggest.
Bubbles spray aerosols: Certitudes and mysteries
This review summarizes the fluid mechanics of how ocean bubbles burst to generate sea spray aerosols, which carry chemical, biological, and particulate material — including potential pollutants — from the ocean surface into the atmosphere.
Jet Drop Enrichment: A Low-Cost Method for Simultaneous PFAS and Microplastics Removal from Drinking Water
Researchers developed a low-cost water treatment method that uses the tiny droplets formed when bubbles burst at a water surface to simultaneously remove both PFAS ('forever chemicals') and fine microplastics from drinking water, achieving up to 99% removal of long-chain PFAS and microplastics. Adding a low-cost ion-exchange resin extended the approach to short-chain PFAS as well. This is significant because conventional water treatment struggles with both contaminants, and this bubble-based method offers a simple, scalable solution with minimal materials.
Effects of particulate properties on splash activity and particulate destination for particle-laden drop impacts on liquid pools
When raindrops hit the ocean surface, the resulting splash can carry microplastics and other particles both into and out of the water — affecting how contaminants are distributed between the ocean and the atmosphere. This laboratory study systematically tested how particle size, density, and concentration influence the splashing behavior of particle-laden droplets, finding that while these properties do not change the overall splash pattern, they do affect how particles are distributed after impact. Understanding these dynamics could help improve models of how microplastics and other pollutants cycle between ocean and atmosphere.
Retention of rising droplets in density stratification
This laboratory study examined how density stratification in water affects the trapping and retention of rising oil droplets, with implications for understanding transport of buoyant particles in stratified water bodies. The physical principles studied here also apply to how low-density microplastics move through stratified ocean or lake water.
Plastic microbeads from cosmetic products: an experimental study of their hydrodynamic behaviour, vertical transport and resuspension in phytoplankton and sediment aggregates
Researchers studied the hydrodynamic behavior of plastic microbeads from cosmetic products, finding that their physical properties — size, shape, and density — govern how they disperse and settle in aquatic environments after release from consumer products.
Response of microplastic particles to turbulent flow: An experimental study
Using controlled flume experiments, researchers studied how turbulent flow conditions affect the transport and settling behavior of microplastic particles with varied shapes and densities, finding that turbulence intensity and particle morphology interacted to determine suspension and deposition patterns.
Utilization of Bubbles and Oil for Microplastic Capture from Water
Researchers demonstrated a simple method using vegetable oil and air bubbles to capture over 98% of microplastics from water, achieving complete removal of larger particles and high capture of microfibers — a potentially passive, low-cost cleanup approach that avoids releasing secondary contamination into treated water.
New insights into the role of marine plastic-gels in microplastic transfer from water to the atmosphere via bubble bursting
Researchers identified a three-step mechanism by which microplastics are transferred from ocean surface water to the atmosphere during bubble bursting, finding that marine gel particles play a critical role by concentrating MPs at the air-sea interface before aerosol ejection. The results help explain how MPs reach remote terrestrial environments through atmospheric deposition from the ocean.
Evidence of Microplastic Size Impact on Mobility and Transport in the Marine Environment: A Review and Synthesis of Recent Research
This review synthesized evidence on how microplastic particle size affects transport and dispersal in the marine environment, finding that size critically influences turbulent entrainment, settling velocity, and resuspension, analogous to well-established natural sediment transport dynamics.
Entrainment and vertical mixing of aquatic microplastics in turbulent flow: The coupled role of particle size and density
Researchers conducted laboratory flume experiments to study how turbulence affects the vertical mixing and entrainment of microplastic particles of different sizes and densities. Both particle size and polymer density significantly influenced mixing behavior, with smaller and denser particles more responsive to turbulent structures, informing models of microplastic transport in rivers and coastal waters.
Performance assessment of bubbles barriers for microplastic remediation
Researchers experimentally evaluated the performance of bubble barrier devices for collecting microplastics in natural and artificial streams, testing different configurations of bubble generators and alignment angles to determine which arrangements most effectively directed both floating and non-floating particles toward collection systems.
Assessment of sub-200-nm nanobubbles with ultra-high stability in water
Not relevant to microplastics — this study investigates the stability and physical properties of sub-200 nm nanobubbles in water for use in environmental remediation and industrial applications, with no microplastic content.
Emerging investigator series: suspended air nanobubbles in water can shuttle polystyrene nanoplastics to the air–water interface
Nanobubbles suspended in water can physically carry nanoplastic particles to the air-water interface and concentrate them there, but only when the repulsive electrical charge between the particles and bubbles is reduced by adjusting pH. This discovery points toward a potential low-energy method for removing nanoplastics from water, which is currently one of the hardest fractions of plastic pollution to filter out.