Water–air transfer rates of microplastic particles through bubble bursting as a function of particle size - Microplastics and Nanoplastics

Microplastic (MP) particles can be ejected into the air by jet drops when gas bubbles burst at water surfaces. For a qualitative and quantitative understanding of this transport mechanism from the hydrosphere to the atmosphere, we studied the transfer of MP due to bubble bursting at the air–water interface in laboratory experiments. Gas bubbles were produced with filtered air that was pushed through a stainless-steel frit at two different volume flow rates in a glass flask filled with polystyrene (PS) particles of six different diameters (0.35 µm, 0.5 µm, 0.75 µm, 1 µm, 1.5 µm, 2 µm) suspended in deionized water. Airborne PS particle concentrations were measured by an optical particle counter. Additionally, size and volume of the bursting bubbles and the resulting jet droplets were analyzed with a camera. Depending on the volume flow rates, bubble bursting rates from 688 s−1 to 1176 s−1 and mean diameters of the bursting bubbles from 0.76 mm to 0.81 mm were observed. The mean diameters of the top jet drops were estimated to be between 0.10 mm and 0.11 mm. The measured number of jet droplets ranged from 2092 s−1 to 2391 s−1. For particle diameters from 0.35 µm – 2.0 µm, the airborne MP particle concentrations ranged from 4.2 l−1 to 348 l−1. We determined size-dependent transfer factors for the water–air transfer and found a maximum for 1 µm particles. For MP particles up to 1 µm diameter, the particle concentration in the jet droplets was enhanced compared to the bulk water concentration, indicating an enrichment of MP particles at the water–air-interface of bubbles.

Mind the gap: forest soils as a hidden hub for global micro- and nanoplastic pollution - Microplastics and Nanoplastics

Global plastic pollution has become a major concern because of its effects on environmental and human health. A major fraction of environmental plastics is likely stored temporarily within terrestrial soils. However, even though forests represent the third most common type of land cover on Earth, almost nothing is known about plastics in forest soils. The atmospheric transport of micro- and nanoplastics provides ample opportunity for forest canopies to intercept plastic particles. These plastic particles, together with local plastic sources like litter and items used in forest management, eventually reach forest soils. In this paper we discuss the potential role of forest soils as a hub within global plastic cycles; transport processes from the atmosphere to the soil; and the integration of plastics into forest material cycles. Taken together, plastic in forests could have a major impact on sensitive ecosystems, economically important functions and global environmental plastic budgets. We also develop a roadmap for further investigation into plastics in forest soil systems.

Computational study of microplastic transport at the water-air interface with a memory-optimized lattice Boltzmann method - EPub Bayreuth