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Quantifying microplastic dispersion due to density effects
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Stride, Ben, Abolfathi, Soroush, Bending, Gary D. and Pearson, Jonathan M. (2024) Quantifying microplastic dispersion due to density effects. Journal of Hazardous Materials . doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133440 ISSN 0304-3894. (In Press)
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133440
Abstract
An experimental study was conducted on how polymer density affects the transport and fate of microplastics in aquatic flows. For the first time, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were chemically stained and tested using solute transport techniques and velocities found among rivers in the natural environment (0.016 – 0.361 m/s). The movement of 3D-polymers with densities ranging from 0.9 – 1.4 g/cm³ was quantified in a laboratory flume scaled to simulate open-channel flows in fluvial systems. Except for PP, in most conditions microplastics exhibited similar transport characteristics to solutes regardless of density and established solute transport models were successfully implemented to predict their transport and fate. Mass recoveries and ADE routing model demonstrated microplastic deposition and resuspension was associated with polymer density below critical velocity thresholds ≤ 0.1 m/s. When density becomes the dominant force at these slower velocities, concentrations of denser than water microplastics will be momentarily or permanently deposited in channel beds and microplastics follow the classical Shields sediment transport methodology. This data is the first to provide microplastic suspension and deposition thresholds based on river velocity and polymer density, making a key contribution to research predicting microplastic fate and organismal exposure.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
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Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GB Physical geography G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GC Oceanography T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering |
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Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Engineering > Engineering Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Life Sciences (2010- ) |
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Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Microplastics, Plastic marine debris , Sediment transport, Fluid mechanics, Streamflow, Microplastics -- Environmental aspects | ||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Journal of Hazardous Materials | ||||||
Publisher: | Elsevier Science BV | ||||||
ISSN: | 0304-3894 | ||||||
Official Date: | 6 January 2024 | ||||||
Dates: |
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DOI: | 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133440 | ||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
Publication Status: | In Press | ||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | ||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 12 January 2024 | ||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 12 January 2024 | ||||||
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
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