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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Mobility of polypropylene microplastics in stormwater biofilters under freeze-thaw cycles
ClearTransport of microplastics in stormwater treatment systems under freeze-thaw cycles: Critical role of plastic density
Researchers found that freeze-thaw cycles transport microplastics downward through stormwater treatment system substrates, with plastic density being a critical factor determining how far MPs migrate. Dense PET microplastics penetrated deepest, raising concern that treatment systems in cold climates may inadvertently channel MPs toward groundwater during winter thaw cycles.
UV exposure to PET microplastics increases their downward mobility in stormwater biofilters undergoing freeze–thaw cycles
Researchers found that UV weathering of PET microplastics increases their downward mobility in stormwater biofilters undergoing freeze-thaw cycles, as UV exposure creates polar surface groups that decrease hydrophilicity and enhance particle transport.
Revealing the Freezing-Induced Alteration in Microplastic Behavior and Its Implication for the Microplastics Released from Seasonal Ice
Researchers revealed how freeze-thaw cycling alters microplastic behavior in environmental matrices, finding that freezing changes particle aggregation, surface properties, and transport dynamics with implications for polar and seasonally frozen environments.
Impact of freeze-thaw cycles on the remobilization behaviors of microplastics in natural soils
Freeze-thaw cycling significantly promoted the remobilization of plastic particles (0.2 and 1 µm) retained in natural soils and quartz sand during subsequent water flushing, with natural soils retaining more particles initially but showing comparable release upon thaw due to pore structure disruption.
Transport of plastic particles in natural porous media under freeze–thaw treatment: Effects of porous media property
Researchers tested how freeze-thaw cycling affects the transport of nanoplastics through columns of natural soils with different textures. Freeze-thaw treatment increased nanoplastic transport through quartz sand by smoothing grain surfaces but reduced transport through loamy and sandy natural soils by creating new retention sites, demonstrating that soil type determines how freeze-thaw affects plastic mobility.
Transport Mechanisms of Nanoplastics in Agricultural Soils Under Snowmelt Infiltration Conditions in Cold Regions
Researchers investigated how nanoplastics migrate with snowmelt water through three agricultural soil types (luvisol, chernozem, and albic soil) under freeze-thaw conditions, finding that chernozem showed peak nanoplastic concentrations of 25.62 mg/kg in the vertical profile and that biochar amendment modified nanoplastic transport behavior across all soil types.
Freeze-thaw aged polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics alter enzyme activity and microbial community composition in soil
This study found that when polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics go through freeze-thaw cycles (as they would in cold-climate soils), their surfaces change in ways that alter soil enzyme activity and shift microbial communities. These findings matter because changes in soil microbes can affect nutrient cycling and crop health, with potential downstream effects on human food systems.
Effects of freeze-thaw dynamics and microplastics on the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in soil aggregates
Researchers investigated how freeze-thaw cycles and microplastics together affect the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in soil. The study found that repeated freezing and thawing significantly increased antibiotic resistance genes across different soil particle sizes. Interestingly, the presence of polyethylene microplastics actually reduced some of the resistance gene increases caused by freeze-thaw, suggesting a complex interaction between these two environmental stressors.
Vertical migration of microplastics in porous media: Multiple controlling factors under wet-dry cycling
Researchers studied how microplastics move vertically through sandy soil during cycles of wetting and drying, testing four common plastic types at various particle sizes. They found that smaller, more hydrophobic particles migrated deeper, and that frequent wet-dry cycles and the presence of dissolved organic matter accelerated downward movement. The findings suggest that microplastics in agricultural soils could potentially reach groundwater, posing risks to underground water quality.
Exposure of nanoplastics to freeze-thaw leads to aggregation and reduced transport in model groundwater environments
Polystyrene nanoplastics exposed to freeze-thaw cycles showed significantly greater aggregation and reduced transport through quartz sand columns compared to nanoplastics held at constant temperature, with effects most pronounced at higher ionic strength, suggesting cold climates limit nanoplastic mobility in subsurface environments.
Mechanism of nanoplastics altering soil carbon turnover under freeze-thaw cycle
Researchers used rare earth oxide tracers and carbon-13 isotope labeling combined with soil microstructure scanning CT to study how nanoplastics alter soil carbon cycling under freeze-thaw conditions. Nanoplastics destabilized soil aggregates during freeze-thaw cycles, accelerating organic carbon turnover and potentially increasing CO2 emissions from cold-region soils.
Freeze-thaw aging increases the toxicity of microplastics to earthworms and enriches pollutant-degrading microbial genera
This study found that microplastics aged by freeze-thaw cycles, which happen naturally in cold climates, became more toxic to earthworms than fresh microplastics. The aged particles caused more oxidative stress and disrupted the worms' gut bacteria and metabolism. Since earthworms are essential for soil health and agriculture, this increased toxicity could affect the quality of soil used to grow food.
Freeze-thaw alternations accelerate plasticizers release and pose a risk for exposed organisms
Researchers investigated how freeze-thaw cycles in agricultural soils of Liaoning, China accelerate the release of phthalate ester (PAE) plasticizers from plastic mulch film residues and microplastics. They found that freeze-thaw alternations significantly increased PAE leaching and that bioaccumulation in exposed organisms poses a potential ecotoxicological risk in cold agricultural regions.
Microplastic accumulation in one-year freshwater ice: A four-year monitoring study reveals winter dynamics of microplastics
A four-year study of freshwater ice near Finnish urban areas found microplastic concentrations one to two orders of magnitude higher in ice than in the open surface water below, confirming that ice acts as a seasonal trap for microplastics. When ice and snow melt each spring, those concentrated microplastics flush into sediments and water bodies at once, creating a pulse of plastic pollution that is easy to overlook in warm-weather monitoring programs.
The Overlooked Driver of Microplastic Chemical Oxidation in Cold Soils: Reactive Oxygen Species Generation Mediated by Freeze–Thaw Cycles
Researchers found that freeze-thaw cycles selectively oxidize microplastics containing conjugated aromatic structures such as PET and polystyrene through reactive oxygen species generation during the initial freezing phase, while non-aromatic polymers like polyethylene and polyamide undergo no oxidative aging under the same conditions.
Exploring the vertical transport of microplastics in subsurface environments: Lab-scale experiments and field evidence
Researchers investigated how microplastics move downward through soil using laboratory column experiments and field sampling of groundwater. They found that heavier rainfall, smaller particle size, and fiber-shaped microplastics all increased vertical transport through unsaturated soil. Field samples confirmed the presence of microplastics in both soil layers and groundwater, suggesting that surface plastic pollution can migrate into underground water supplies.
TheOverlooked Driver of Microplastic Chemical Oxidationin Cold Soils: Reactive Oxygen Species Generation Mediated by Freeze–ThawCycles
Researchers found that freeze-thaw cycles drive the oxidative aging of aromatic microplastics — including PET, PLA-PBAT, and polystyrene — in cold soils by generating reactive oxygen species such as singlet oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, a mechanism absent in non-aromatic polymers like polyethylene and polyamide.
Microplastics undergo accelerated vertical migration in sand soil due to small size and wet-dry cycles
Polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics of varying sizes were tracked through sand soil columns under repeated wet-dry cycles, finding that the smallest particles (21 μm PE) migrated deepest and that migration depth increased linearly with the number of wet-dry cycles. The study reveals that small microplastics can penetrate much deeper into soil profiles than larger particles, raising concern about groundwater contamination.
Distribution of microplastics between ice and water in aquatic systems: The influence of particle properties, salinity and freshwater characteristics
Laboratory freezing experiments showed that ice formation in both saltwater and freshwater captures microplastics, but the extent varies significantly with water chemistry, particle shape, and suspended solids — fiber-shaped particles were far less likely to be trapped in ice than fragments. In cold climates, ice can act as a seasonal reservoir that concentrates microplastics and then releases them in large pulses when it melts, making spring snowmelt a potentially significant delivery event for aquatic ecosystems. These findings are relevant for understanding microplastic dynamics in Arctic, subarctic, and temperate freshwater systems.
Micro- and nanoplastic transfer in freezing saltwater: implications for their fate in polar waters
Researchers investigated the fate of micro- and nanoplastics during sea-ice formation using a novel experimental system that simulated progressive saltwater freezing, measuring how plastics partition between ice and liquid phases and assessing implications for plastic accumulation and transport in Arctic environments.
Microplastics transport in soils: A critical review
Researchers reviewed how microplastics move through soil, finding that their transport depends on a complex mix of particle properties, soil chemistry, water flow, and biological activity — and that these factors often interact in ways that produce contradictory results across studies. The review maps these knowledge gaps and calls for more controlled experiments to predict where microplastics accumulate and how they might reach groundwater or crops.
The Effect of Polymer Type and Particle Concentration on Microplastic Transport Mechanisms in Saturated Porous Media
Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles move through soil and groundwater by testing different types of plastics at various concentrations. They found that the amount and type of plastic affects how far these particles travel underground, and that bacteria growing on the plastic surfaces can change how they move through soil. This research helps us better understand how microplastics might contaminate our drinking water sources and food supply.
Indirect Effects of Microplastic-Contaminated Soils on Adjacent Soil Layers: Vertical Changes in Soil Physical Structure and Water Flow
Laboratory experiments showed that microplastic contamination in upper soil layers indirectly altered the physical structure and water flow of adjacent uncontaminated lower soil layers, suggesting that microplastics can affect soil hydrology beyond their immediate zone of contamination.
The individual transport, cotransport and immobilization with solar pyrolysis biochar of microplastics and plasticizer in sandy soil
Researchers tracked the individual transport, co-transport, and immobilization of microplastics in porous media, finding that plastic particle behavior differs significantly depending on surface charge and pore structure interactions. The results improve predictions of where microplastics migrate and accumulate in soils and aquifers.