Abstract
Efforts to reduce the toxic effects of microplastics (MPs) on the environment have increased globally in recent years. However, the existing models used for the simulation of contaminant transport in groundwater are meant for dissolved substances, which is not suitable for studying MPs. Therefore, in this study, the transport of MPs in a saturated porous medium was modeled by establishing governing equations. Simulations were performed using the finite element method to examine the effects of the parameters of the governing equations on the transport of MPs. The results suggest that it is necessary to reduce the diffusivity of MPs and increase the water flow velocity, porosity, and first-order attachment coefficient to effectively contain this environmental hazard. From the simulation results, it can be derived that a combination of low diffusivity, fast water flow velocity, and high soil porosity may reduce the amount of MPs that are leaked into groundwater environments. The modeling and simulations performed in this study provide a clear understanding of the transport phenomena of MPs with applications in combating water pollution.
Highlights
Microplastics (MPs) include primary MPs that are intentionally made with sizes of 5 mm or smaller, as well as secondary MPs that have been weathered by ultraviolet radiation, biodegradation, physical wear, or chemical oxidation [1]
The interest of the international community is increasing concerning this problem as MPs have emerged as a serious global environmental threat [5,6], public anxiety and concerns about MP pollution in terrestrial ecosystems are on the rise in Korea, as most pollution surveys have focused on marine and coastal environments [7,8,9]
The current conditions of MP pollution in groundwater have not been actively investigated in Korea
Summary
Microplastics (MPs) include primary MPs that are intentionally made with sizes of 5 mm or smaller, as well as secondary MPs that have been weathered by ultraviolet radiation, biodegradation, physical wear, or chemical oxidation [1]. Despite the growing worldwide interest in MPs, the existing research on the transport of MPs is confined to marine and terrestrial environments that only include coastal areas and surface water [5,9], with very few studies being related to actual soil [13] and groundwater environments [13,23,27].
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