The pervasive nature of plastic and the longevity of plastics leaves a legacy of microplastics (MPs) that contaminate our environment, including drinking water sources. Although MPs have been documented in every environmental setting, a paucity of research has focused on the transport and fate of MPs in groundwater. Previous field and laboratory studies have shown that MPs can migrate through aquifer material and are influenced by environmental factors. This study used controlled column experiments to investigate the influence of polymer type (polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyester) and particle shape (fragment, fiber, and sphere) on MP retardation and retention. The results showed that all individual MP types investigated were retarded compared to the NaCl tracer, with a retardation factor ranging from 1.53 to 1.75. While hypothesized that presence of multiple types and shapes could change mobility, the results indicate that this hypothesis is not correct for the conditions tested. This study provides new insights into MP transport in groundwater systems based on the characteristics of MP particles. In addition, this study demonstrates the need for further research on types of MPs and under more conditions, especially in the presence of a mixture of types and shapes of MPs to gauge what is occurring in natural systems where many MPs are present together.

中文翻译：

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微塑料的类型和形状对柱实验中传输的影响

塑料的普遍性和塑料的使用寿命留下了微塑料 (MP) 的遗产，污染了我们的环境，包括饮用水源。尽管MP在各种环境环境中都有记录，但很少有研究关注MP在地下水中的迁移和命运。先前的现场和实验室研究表明，MP 可以通过含水层物质迁移，并受到环境因素的影响。本研究使用对照柱实验来研究聚合物类型（聚酰胺、聚乙烯、聚丙烯和聚酯）和颗粒形状（碎片、纤维和球体）对 MP 延迟和保留的影响。结果表明，与 NaCl 示踪剂相比，所研究的所有单个 MP 类型均出现延迟，延迟因子范围为 1.53 至 1.75。虽然假设多种类型和形状的存在可能会改变流动性，但结果表明该假设对于测试条件来说是不正确的。这项研究根据 MP 颗粒的特性，为地下水系统中 MP 的传输提供了新的见解。此外，这项研究表明需要对 MP 类型和更多条件进行进一步研究，特别是在 MP 类型和形状混合存在的情况下，以衡量在许多 MP 一起存在的自然系统中发生的情况。