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Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to Flume experiments on transport and deposition behavior of microplastics in sediment bed environments
ClearUnderstanding how sediment movement affects microplastic deposition in sandy streambeds: A modeling study.
Researchers used a numerical model of flow and particle transport in moving streambed sediment to quantify how streambed motion affects microplastic deposition and accumulation, running simulations across streamwater velocities of 0.1-0.5 m/s and varying median grain sizes to examine MPs of all sizes and densities.
Denser microplastics migrate deeper? Effect of particle density on microplastics transport in artificial and natural porous media
Researchers conducted saturated column experiments with polyethylene microspheres of different densities in glass bead and gravel porous media to investigate how particle density affects microplastic transport behavior, finding that density significantly influences MP fate and providing transport model fits with R2 above 82.3%.
Mechanism comparisons of transport-deposition-reentrainment between microplastics and natural mineral particles in porous media: A theoretical and experimental study
Researchers compared the transport, deposition, and re-entrainment behavior of microplastic particles versus natural mineral particles in porous media, finding key differences driven by density, surface charge, and shape that affect how microplastics migrate through soils and sediments.
Exploring the influence of sediment motion on microplastic deposition in streambeds
This study systematically explored how sediment motion affects microplastic deposition in streambeds made of fine sediments, finding that sediment transport dynamics play a critical role in controlling where microplastics accumulate. The results improve understanding of microplastic fate in riverine systems.
Microplastic deposition in streams under moving bedforms
Researchers conducted flume experiments to examine microplastic deposition in sandy streambeds under moving bedform conditions, finding that bedform migration and particle size both control whether microplastics are buried or remain in suspension, with implications for estimating MP residence times in river systems.
Transport and sedimentation of microplastics by turbidity currents: Dependence on suspended sediment concentration and grain size
Researchers used laboratory experiments to study how turbidity currents, underwater flows of sediment-laden water, transport and deposit microplastics on the ocean floor. They found that higher sediment concentrations carried microplastics farther, and finer sediment grains enhanced transport distances compared to coarser ones. The findings suggest that both the properties of the sediment flow and the shape and density of microplastic particles play important roles in determining where plastics end up in marine sediments.
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.
Sedimentation of microplastics interacting with sediment
Researchers conducted laboratory settling velocity experiments for 12 different microplastic types with varying shapes in both clear and turbid water, finding that the simultaneous presence of suspended sediments significantly alters MP settling behaviour in ways not captured by existing models that assume clean water conditions.
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.
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.
A new model for the terminal settling velocity of microplastics
A new empirical model for the terminal settling velocity of microplastics was developed and validated using 1,343 experimental measurements covering a range of particle shapes and materials. The model improves predictions of microplastic sedimentation rates, which are critical for understanding how plastic particles are transported and deposited in water bodies.
Microplastic and natural sediment in bed load saltation: material does not dictate the fate
This study compared the transport of microplastics and natural sediment in river flows and found that despite similar particle sizes, microplastics behave differently due to their lower density and different surface properties. The findings suggest that microplastic transport cannot be fully predicted using models designed for natural sediment. Better transport models are needed to understand how microplastics move through river systems to the ocean.
Infiltration 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.
Transport and accumulation of plastic particles on the varying sediment bed cover: Open-channel flow experiment
Researchers conducted open-channel flow experiments to study how various plastic particles of differing shape, size, density, and flexibility are transported and retained across sediment beds of varying grain size, finding that friction-driven retention zones consistently form at boundaries between finer and coarser sediments, offering a mechanism to explain the patchy distribution of microplastics in seafloor sediments.
Application of a microplastic trap to the determination of the factors controlling the lakebed deposition of microplastics
Researchers deployed a microplastic trap in a lake to measure real-world lakebed deposition rates, finding that particle size, density, and seasonal hydrodynamics were key factors controlling microplastic settling, providing field-validated data to improve transport models.
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.
Leveraging Sedimentary Process Insights to Enhance Understanding of Microplastic Deposition in Rivers
This review leverages insights from fluvial sediment transport research to improve understanding of how microplastics deposit and are buried in river networks, identifying knowledge gaps in water-sediment exchange processes and highlighting that current MP deposition estimates are biased by incomplete understanding of flow-sediment-particle interactions.
Transport dynamics of microplastics from land to sea: the role of particle properties and stream morphology.
Researchers measured how particle properties including size, density, and polymer type interact with stream morphology to determine microplastic transport distances in 15 streams. Both plastic characteristics and stream structure independently influenced how far microplastics travel before settling, with implications for estimating fluxes to the ocean.
Dynamics of microplastics bedload transport in turbulent open channel flows over smooth and rough beds
Researchers developed novel empirical formulas for predicting bedload transport layer thickness and velocity of microplastics in turbulent open-channel flows using 80 controlled flume experiments across diverse particle types and flow conditions. The new formula for bedload layer thickness reduced prediction error by 75% compared to existing sediment-based formulas, demonstrating the critical role of particle density and bed characteristics in shaping MP transport dynamics.
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.