Issue 12, 2023

Limited effects of different real groundwaters from three coastal cities in China on the transport of low-concentration nanoplastics in quartz sand

Abstract

Nanoplastics (NPs) have been widely detected in soil–groundwater systems. However, to date, the effect of real groundwater on the fate and transport of NPs has been poorly understood. In this study, the transport and retention behaviors of both polystyrene and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) NPs (PS NPs and PLGA NPs) in different real groundwaters from three coastal cities in China were explored using column experiments. PS (0.51 and 1.1 μm) and PLGA (1 μm) NPs with a low concentration of 2 mg L−1 were employed. Close observation showed that the transport of PS NPs was much higher than PLGA NPs in different groundwaters, with an average breakthrough curve plateau (C/Co) of ∼0.81 for PS NPs and ∼0.19 for PLGA NPs, respectively. As observed for PLGA, the plastic shape- and size-induced straining may be the reason for the minimal transport. Interestingly, we found that although the physicochemical characteristics of different real groundwaters varied significantly, the transport of certain NPs in real groundwater was similar with negligible differences. Closer inspection indicated that similar pHs of different groundwaters may be the reason contributing to these findings. Further investigation revealed that the transport behaviors of PS and PLGA NPs in real groundwater did not follow the classical DLVO theory. These findings suggest that the fate and transport of NPs in real soil-groundwater systems are much more comprehensive than the prediction based on DLVO theory and need intensive investigation.

Graphical abstract: Limited effects of different real groundwaters from three coastal cities in China on the transport of low-concentration nanoplastics in quartz sand

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Seb 2023
Accepted
01 Nov 2023
First published
02 Nov 2023

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2023,25, 2148-2156

Limited effects of different real groundwaters from three coastal cities in China on the transport of low-concentration nanoplastics in quartz sand

Y. Liu, G. Gu, G. Li, H. Kim, L. Cai and H. Cai, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2023, 25, 2148 DOI: 10.1039/D3EM00388D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements