Numerical Prediction of the Short-Term Trajectory of Microplastic Particles in Laizhou Bay

Yu Ding,Wei Yang,Haifei Liu

doi:10.3390/w11112251

Abstract

Microplastic particles are easily captured by microorganisms and enter the food chain, which poses a threat to ecological health. These particles are abundant in coastal areas because of the influence of anthropic activities and the interaction between the sea and land. Although much research on microplastics has been done, predicting the transportation of microplastic particles in coastal zones is still a challenge. In this paper, the trajectories of microplastic particles released from four river mouths around Laizhou Bay are investigated using the lattice Boltzmann method coupled with the Lagrangian particle-tracking method, involving inter-particle and particle-wall collisions. The trajectories of particles released from four river mouths are recorded within 30 days.

Highlights

Plastic debris is frequently found in rivers, lakes and oceans
Considering a great number of factories and domestic sewage flows into Laizhou Bay through rivers, this study focuses on predicting the trajectories of microplastic particles, which are discharged from the river mouth in this region, to determine the trajectory and the moving range of these microplastics
The movement trajectories of microplastic particles in Laizhou Bay are simulated based on the lattice Boltzmann framework coupled with the Lagrangian particle-tracking method

Summary

Introduction

Plastic debris is frequently found in rivers, lakes and oceans. The transportation of plastic debris needs the entrainment of water flows. Its degradation process is extremely sluggish, plastic can be broken down into small particles during its transportation. Plastic particles with a diameter less than 5 mm are recognized as microplastics [1]. These particles can remain in the soil and sediment for hundreds of years and even longer [2]. Microplastics may be captured by marine life and transferred into the food chain. The microplastics themselves are harmful substances the are poisonous to living beings [3]. As a persistent pollutant, the study of microplastics has provoked much attention

Methods

Results

Conclusion