2026-04-13T02:21:02Zhttps://recercat.cat/oai/requestoai:recercat.cat:10256/235162025-11-22T07:48:16Zcom_2072_452955com_2072_2054col_2072_453063
RECERCAT
author
Mancini, Mirco
author
Serra Putellas, Teresa
author
Colomer, Jordi
author
Solari, Luca
2023-09-10
Microplastic particles (MP) are an emerging contaminant threatening many aquatic systems. Because of the sharp increase in plastic manufacture, the concentration of MP in natural ecosystems has grown dramatically. While it is known that when MP enter aquatic ecosystems they are transported and dispersed via different mechanisms (currents, waves, turbulence), the processes involved are still poorly understood. In the current study, the transport of MP by a unidirectional flow has been investigated in a laboratory flume. MP enter the system through a plume that can (or not) have suspended sediment. The interaction between MP and sediment was studied for three different MP particle types (Polyamide (PA) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) fragments, and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) fibers), and four different sediment concentrations (0 g/l, 15 g/l, 30 g/l and 45 g/l). In all cases, sediment increased the vertical transport of MP to the bottom. The greater the sediment concentration, the greater the downward flux of MP. Sediment particles scavenged PA fragments downwards at the highest rate, followed by PET fibers and finally PVC fragments. These results indicate that a sediment particle-laden plume carrying MP may induce a differential settling of MP as they are advected. The scavenging of MP by sediments may result in sedimentation segregated patterns, with MP being found at shorter distances than expected for the case without sediment, therefore increasing the presence of MP near their contaminant sourcesThis work was supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of the Spanish Government through Grant PID2021-123860OB-I00Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Elsevier
Attribution 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Microplàstics
Microplastics
Contaminants emergents en l'aigua
Emerging contaminants in water
Sedimentació
Sedimentation and deposition
Corrent de terbolesa
Turbidity currents
Microcontaminants
Micropollutants
Aigua -- Contaminació
Water -- Pollution
Suspended sediments mediate microplastic sedimentation in unidirectional flows
info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion peer-reviewed