Microplastics in freshwater systems: Dynamic behaviour and transport processes

作者：Mingqi Guo, Roohollah Noori, Soroush Abolfathi · 发表于：Resources Conservation and Recycling · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107578 · 被引用次数：237 · 研究领域：Microplastics and Plastic Pollution、Recycling and Waste Management Techniques、biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties

Freshwater ecosystems are viewed as a key medium for the transport of land-based plastics into oceans. Microplastic (MP) particles in freshwater environments demonstrate high persistence and an extensive range of size and shape distributions, which make their mobility, distribution, and fate vary distinctly depending on the prevailing environmental conditions. The inherent physical properties of different plastic polymers are constantly evolving at different specific reaction rates due to the complex weathering processes in the environment. This continuously alters the underlying mechanisms governing MP dynamics and further complicates their ultimate fate in natural aquatic systems. This paper conducts a comprehensive review of the dynamic behaviour of MPs in freshwater ecosystems, focusing on investigating the settling, aggregation, retention, and suspension processes governing their transport from the source to the sink. We provide an in-depth overview of the key theoretical foundations of MP behaviour in ambient flows and the key influential factors (i.e. size, density, shape, composition). Our findings highlight intricate interplays between MP dynamic behaviours and local hydrodynamics and water chemistry, which lead to the continuous evolution of MP physicochemical properties (e.g., size, surface charge) through interactions with suspended solids, organic natural matter, and microorganisms under light and wind exposure. This dynamic poses significant challenges in predic...