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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Enhanced settling of microplastics after biofilm development: A laboratory column study mimicking wastewater clarifiers
ClearSinking of microbial-associated microplastics in natural waters
Researchers investigated how microbial biofilm colonization of microplastics affects their buoyancy and sinking behavior in natural waters, finding that biological ballasting from attached microorganisms can significantly increase particle density and promote vertical transport toward sediments. The results suggest that biofouling is a key mechanism driving the removal of microplastics from surface waters.
Investigations into the effects of biofilm formation on the transport behavior of microplastics in open channel flows
Researchers found that biofilm growth on low-density polyethylene microplastics significantly increases their settling propensity in open-channel flow, with biofilm-colonized 100 µm PE particles showing greater vertical movement than uncoated polyester particles despite PE's lower inherent density.
Wastewater treatment alters microbial colonization of microplastics
Analysis of microplastics and their biofilms across raw sewage, effluent, and sludge at two wastewater treatment plants found that >99% of influent MPs were retained in sludge, and that wastewater treatment substantially altered biofilm microbial composition, enriching bioflocculation-associated taxa.
Biofilm growth on buoyant microplastics leads to changes in settling rates: Implications for microplastic retention in the Great Lakes
Researchers measured biofilm-induced density changes and sinking rates for buoyant polyethylene microplastics in Great Lakes water, finding that biofouling caused particles to sink within days to weeks, with implications for predicting where microplastics accumulate in large lake systems.
Effects of biofouling on the sinking behavior of microplastics
Researchers studied how biofouling — the accumulation of microorganisms and organic matter on particle surfaces — alters the sinking behavior of microplastics, finding that biofouled particles sink faster and are more likely to reach seafloor sediments.
Wastewater-induced microplastic biofouling in freshwater: role of particle size and flow velocity
This study examined how wastewater discharge promotes biofouling — the colonization of microplastics by microorganisms — in freshwater environments, finding that particle size and wastewater-derived nutrients both influenced biofilm formation rates and community composition. Wastewater-exposed microplastics rapidly developed distinct microbial communities.
Assessing the Settling Velocity of Biofilm-Encrusted Microplastics: Accounting for Biofilms as an Equivalent to Surface Roughness
This study investigated how biofilm growth on microplastics affects their sinking behavior in water. Researchers found that treating the biofilm as a form of surface roughness helps accurately predict how quickly biofouled plastic particles settle, with polyethylene particles sinking sooner than polypropylene ones. The findings improve our understanding of how microplastics move through water columns once marine organisms begin colonizing their surfaces.
Effects of Biofilms and Particle Physical Properties on the Rising and Settling Velocities of Microplastic Fibers and Sheets
Researchers investigated how biofilms and physical properties affect the rising and settling velocities of microplastic fibers and sheets, finding that biofouling significantly altered vertical transport dynamics depending on particle shape and size.
Rapid aggregation of biofilm-covered microplastics with marine biogenic particles
Researchers demonstrated that biofilm-covered microplastics rapidly aggregate with marine biogenic particles such as algal cells and fecal pellets, which accelerates their sinking from surface waters. The study helps explain why microplastic concentrations at the ocean surface are lower than expected — biofouling causes the particles to be transported to deeper waters and sediments faster than previously assumed.
Method for rapid biofilm cultivation on microplastics and investigation of its effect on the agglomeration and removal of microplastics using organosilanes
Researchers developed a rapid method for growing biofilms on microplastics using a packed bed column with municipal wastewater, achieving partial coverage within one week. They then tested how biofilm-coated microplastics responded to organosilane-based removal treatments and found that biofilm coverage significantly reduced removal efficiency across all five polymer types tested. The findings highlight the importance of accounting for realistic environmental biofilm conditions when evaluating microplastic removal technologies.
An experimental study on microplastic settling velocities in different water environments: Which factors shape the settling process?
Researchers experimentally investigated how biofilm formation and weathering processes affect the settling velocities of microplastics across different water matrices, identifying the key physical and biological factors shaping how particles sink in aquatic environments.
Microplastic-specific biofilm growth determines the vertical transport of plastics in freshwater
Researchers studied biofilm growth on five different microplastic polymer types in freshwater over 63 days to understand how biological colonization affects sinking behavior. The study found that biofilm growth is polymer-specific and can significantly alter the density of microplastic particles, which in turn determines whether they sink or float, influencing their vertical transport through freshwater systems.
Non-buoyant microplastic settling velocity varies with biofilm growth and ambient water salinity
Researchers investigated how biofilms (thin layers of bacteria that grow on plastic surfaces), water salinity, and suspended clay affect how fast microplastics sink in water, finding that biofilm growth alone increased sinking speed by up to 130% within just hours. These findings show that current models predicting where microplastics end up in rivers and oceans are too simplistic, and that biological and chemical conditions must be factored in for accurate predictions.
Impacts of Biofilm Formation on the Fate and Potential Effects of Microplastic in the Aquatic Environment
Researchers reviewed how biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces affects the fate and potential ecological effects of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that biofilms alter particle buoyancy, surface chemistry, and interactions with organisms.
Quantifying the impact of biofouling on microplastic transport: a modeling study
Researchers modelled the impact of biofouling on microplastic transport in fluvial environments by simulating scenarios in which biofilm accumulation altered particle buoyancy, size, shape, density, and settling velocity. Using probability density functions to capture variability in biofilm thickness, suspended solids, and turbulence, the study quantified how biofouling dynamics shift microplastic transport behaviour.
Characteristics and Sinking Behavior of Typical Microplastics Including the Potential Effect of Biofouling: Implications for Remediation
Researchers characterized how microplastics of different shapes sink through water, finding that shape is a critical factor, with films behaving very differently from spheres and fibers. The study also examines how biofouling on floating plastics can cause them to sink, with implications for designing filtration and remediation systems.
Impact of Biofilm Formation on Microplastic Behaviour in Aquatic Environments: An Comprehensive Review.
This review examines how biofilms — communities of microorganisms that coat microplastics — change the behavior of plastic particles in aquatic environments, affecting how they move, sink, and interact with ecosystems. Understanding biofilm formation on microplastics is key to predicting where these particles end up and what risks they pose to water quality and aquatic life.
Integrated effects of polymer type, size and shape on the sinking dynamics of biofouled microplastics
Researchers investigated how polymer type, size, and shape interact with biofouling to influence microplastic sinking dynamics, finding that biofilm growth altered buoyancy and settling rates in ways that depend on the physical characteristics of each particle.
Effects of biofilm colonization on the sinking of microplastics in three freshwater environments
A 44-day freshwater incubation experiment showed that biofilm colonization on PET, PP, and PVC microplastics promoted sinking in three Chinese water bodies, with biomass and chlorophyll levels varying by environment and influencing the rate of buoyancy change.
The Effects of Microplastics on Floc Formation, Nutrient Removal and Settleability in Wastewater Treatment
Researchers investigated how microplastics affect floc formation, nutrient removal, and settleability in wastewater treatment systems, examining the mechanisms by which these ubiquitous anthropogenic pollutants entering via packaging, cosmetics, and other production sectors disrupt activated sludge processes.
Biofilm growth is insufficient to retain large buoyant microplastics in constructed wetlands
Researchers investigated whether biofilm growth on buoyant microplastics is sufficient to cause them to sink and be retained in constructed wetlands used for water treatment. The study found that biofilm formation alone was insufficient to retain large buoyant microplastic particles, meaning these plastics may bypass constructed wetlands and enter downstream aquatic environments.
Perspective into bio-fouled microplastic behaviour, transportation and characterization in water bodies
This review examines how biofouling alters the physicochemical properties of microplastics — including density, surface charge, hydrophobicity, and roughness — and how the resulting 'plastisphere' biofilm community reshapes microplastic transport dynamics, vertical flux, and long-term fate in aquatic systems.
The role of benthic biofilms in trapping estuarine microplastics
Researchers investigated how benthic biofilms in estuarine environments capture and retain microplastics under flow conditions, finding that greater biofilm development increased MP trapping efficiency and that heavy metals co-adsorbed to MPs influenced biofilm retention behavior.
Biofilm Formation Influences the Wettability and Settling of Microplastics
This study found that biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces does not necessarily increase particle mass density enough to cause sinking, contradicting a common assumption. Instead, changes in particle wettability caused by biofilm were identified as a critical mechanism controlling microplastic vertical transport in the ocean.