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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Breakdown and Modification of Microplastic Beads by Aeolian Abrasion
ClearThe effects of sediment properties on the aeolian abrasion and surface characteristics of microplastics
Laboratory experiments quantified how sediment properties influence the rate at which wind abrades and fragments exposed microplastics, generating smaller particles. The results improve understanding of aeolian (wind-driven) microplastic fragmentation as a source of airborne micro- and nanoplastics in arid environments.
The effects of sediment properties on the aeolian abrasion and surface characteristics of microplastics
This study used laboratory wind tunnel experiments to examine how microplastics are physically abraded when transported by wind alongside sand and soil particles, testing angular, sub-rounded, and rounded sediment grains over extended periods. The abrasion altered the surface chemistry and texture of the plastic particles in ways that could affect how they interact with pollutants and organisms in the environment. The work reveals that wind transport does not merely move microplastics — it transforms them, potentially changing their environmental hazard profile.
Macroplastic surface characteristics change during wind abrasion
Laboratory wind tunnel experiments showed that wind-driven abrasion of macroplastics on sandy surfaces produces distinct surface features and generates secondary microplastic particles, demonstrating that wind erosion is a meaningful pathway for plastic fragmentation in arid and coastal environments.
Impact of erodent shape on microplastic breakdown during wind erosion
Researchers simulated wind erosion abrasion using three sediment erodent shapes (rounded, sub-angular, angular) against three sizes of polyethylene spheres to quantify how erodent geometry drives the physical breakdown of microplastics into smaller particles, including nanoplastics, in aeolian transport environments.
Impact of erodent shape on microplastic breakdown during wind erosion
Researchers designed abrasion simulation experiments using three different erodent shapes (rounded, sub-angular, and angular sediments) and three sizes of polyethylene spheres to investigate how erodent geometry influences the mechanical breakdown of microplastics during wind erosion, finding that erodent shape significantly affects fragmentation rate and the generation of secondary nanoplastics.
Is transport of microplastics different from that of mineral dust? Results from idealized wind tunnel studies
Researchers conducted wind tunnel experiments to examine the detachment and transport behavior of microplastics ranging from 38 to 125 um in diameter from idealized substrates, comparing their aerodynamic behavior to the well-established literature on mineral dust transport. The study identified key differences in microplastic detachment mechanisms relevant to understanding long-range atmospheric dispersal of plastic particles.
Geometric Form and Density Govern Microplastic Particle Kinetics During Aeolian Transport
Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles move through the air and found that they travel faster and farther than natural particles like sand. This means microplastics can spread much more easily through wind to remote areas where people live, including places far from pollution sources. Understanding how these plastics move through the air is important because it helps explain why microplastics are showing up everywhere on Earth, potentially affecting human health through the air we breathe.
Novel Release Mechanism of Microplastics and Nanoplastics by Environmentally Relevant Sand Abrasion
Researchers designed a device to quantify microplastic and nanoplastic release from LDPE films through surface abrasion by dry sand over seven months. They found that degradation produced particles across a wide size range and characterised dynamic changes in surface chemistry, identifying abrasion as a significant but underappreciated MP generation mechanism.
NovelRelease Mechanism of Microplastics and Nanoplasticsby Environmentally Relevant Sand Abrasion
Researchers designed a quantitative abrasion device to study micro- and nanoplastic release from low-density polyethylene films via sand surface abrasion over seven months, characterising released products and correlating release rates with sliding friction input power. They discovered a novel release mechanism whereby MPs and NPs transfer onto sand grain surfaces rather than remaining suspended, representing a previously unrecognised environmental sink and source of plastic particles.
Is plastic dust different from mineral dust? Results from idealized wind tunnel experiments.
Researchers conducted wind tunnel experiments to compare how plastic particles of different sizes detach from flat surfaces in wind compared to mineral dust particles. Plastic particles required higher wind speeds to become airborne than mineral dust of similar size, likely due to shape differences. These findings inform atmospheric transport models for predicting how far and how much microplastic can be carried by wind across the landscape.
Combined Effects of UV Exposure Duration and Mechanical Abrasion on Microplastic Fragmentation by Polymer Type
Researchers studied how UV exposure duration and mechanical abrasion combine to fragment different plastic types under simulated beach conditions. They found that polypropylene was far more susceptible to fragmentation than polyethylene after UV weathering, while expanded polystyrene broke apart readily even without UV exposure. The experiments showed that a large fraction of fragmented particles were too small to recover, suggesting that significant amounts of nanoplastic are being generated on beaches.
Controls on microplastic breakdown due to abrasion in gravel bed rivers
Researchers investigated the physical controls on microplastic fragmentation due to mechanical abrasion in gravel-bed rivers, examining how particle size, morphology, polymer type, and weathering state influence breakdown rates and the resulting changes in surface properties that alter risk profiles during fluvial transport.
Secondary Microplastics Generation in the Sea Swash Zone With Coarse Bottom Sediments: Laboratory Experiments
Laboratory experiments in a simulated beach swash zone showed that mechanical abrasion of polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene debris generates secondary microplastic particles in the 0.5-5 mm size range. The study provides direct experimental evidence that wave action on beaches is an active mechanism producing new microplastics from macroplastic debris.
Wind erosion as a driver for transport of light density microplastics
Researchers investigated wind erosion as a transport mechanism for microplastics across different land uses in Iran and found that wind-eroded sediments contained significant quantities of light-density microplastic particles. Agricultural and barren lands showed higher microplastic concentrations in wind-eroded material. The study identifies wind as an important but overlooked pathway for spreading microplastic contamination across landscapes.
Influence of microplastics on small-scale soil surface roughness and implications for wind transport of microplastic particles
Researchers investigated how microplastics mixed into soil affect surface roughness at small scales, finding that microplastics altered surface texture in ways that could increase soil susceptibility to wind erosion and promote atmospheric transport of microplastic particles.
An advanced analytical approach to assess the long-term degradation of microplastics in the marine environment
Researchers exposed several types of plastic pellets to realistic ocean conditions over time and found that marine weathering caused much faster surface degradation than previously estimated — up to 469 micrometers per year, twelve times higher than older figures — while also generating secondary micro- and nanoplastic particles smaller than one micron. The results provide critical real-world data for assessing how quickly ocean plastics break down into even tinier, harder-to-detect fragments.
Size-dependent long-term weathering converting floating polypropylene macro- and microplastics into nanoplastics in coastal seawater environments
Researchers found that floating polypropylene plastics of different sizes undergo long-term weathering in coastal seawater, with particle size decreasing by over 99% after accelerated UV exposure, demonstrating a size-dependent pathway for converting macroplastics into nanoplastics.
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.
Simulated experimental investigation of microplastic weathering in marine environment
Researchers simulated microplastic weathering under marine conditions, finding that exposure to UV light, saltwater, and mechanical abrasion progressively degraded plastic surfaces, increased surface roughness, and enhanced the adsorption capacity of contaminants onto microplastic particles.
Nanofragmentation of Expanded Polystyrene Under Simulated Environmental Weathering (Thermooxidative Degradation and Hydrodynamic Turbulence)
Researchers studied the combined effect of UV oxidation and mechanical abrasion on the fragmentation of expanded polystyrene under simulated marine weathering conditions. They found that oxidative degradation and mechanical stress together drive the breakdown of macroplastics into micro- and nanoscale particles in the ocean.
Is transport of microplastics different from mineral particles? Idealized wind tunnel studies on polyethylene microspheres
Wind tunnel experiments revealed that plastic (polyethylene) microspheres behave differently from mineral dust particles when transported by wind, particularly on hydrophobic surfaces, where plastic particles detach and become airborne more readily. Particle-to-particle collisions were found to both assist and impede detachment. These findings help explain why microplastics are found in remote atmospheric environments and improve models for predicting how far plastic particles can travel through the air from pollution sources.
Amount and characteristics of microplastic and organic matter in wind-blown sediment at different heights within the aeolian sand saltation layer
Researchers investigated microplastics in wind-blown sediment at different heights within the aeolian saltation layer over farmlands using plastic mulch, finding that wind erosion redistributes microplastics and enriches them at specific heights above the soil surface.
Erosion of rigid plastics in turbid (sandy) water: quantitative assessment for marine environments and formation of microplastics
Researchers quantified the erosion rate of rigid plastic materials by water-borne sand under conditions representing turbid rivers and coastal oceans. Polypropylene showed the highest erosion response at a surface degradation rate of 5,160 um per year, demonstrating that mechanical erosion by suspended sediments is a significant source of microplastic generation in aquatic environments.
Characterizing microplastic size and morphology of photodegraded polymers placed in simulated moving water conditions
Laboratory experiments simulated how UV light and moving water break down plastic debris into microplastics, documenting changes in particle size, shape, and surface morphology over time. The findings help clarify how environmental weathering processes generate the diverse microplastic fragments found in aquatic ecosystems.