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摘要:
微塑料作为新污染物,已广泛存在于土壤和地下水中,但其在非均质多孔介质中的迁移机制尚不明确,为更好地预测其环境行为与评估风险,采用室内砂柱实验,系统研究聚苯乙烯微塑料在3种典型介质中的迁移特征:均质粗砂(粒径范围为1.18~1.40 mm)、均质细砂(粒径范围为0.12~0.13 mm)和同心圆非均质结构(中心粗砂、外围细砂),并设置不同pH值(5,7,9)、流速(0.5,1.0 mL/min)和微塑料粒径(200,800 nm)等条件,观测其穿透行为。研究表明,非均质介质显著改变了微塑料的迁移路径和截留分布,穿透曲线呈典型双峰特征,反映出优先流(粗砂区)与截留区(细砂区)的共存机制。微塑料的迁移性随pH值与流速的增加而增强;同时,200 nm颗粒的迁移能力显著优于800 nm颗粒。其潜在机制为pH值升高与粒径减小分别通过增强微塑料与介质表面的静电排斥以及削弱物理阻塞促进迁移,流速增大则可以增加微塑料所受水动力从而降低介质表面对其的吸附能力。本研究揭示了非均质介质中微塑料迁移的双峰路径由“快速−慢速”双域流结构所主导,同时明确了pH值、水动力条件与颗粒粒径等环境因子的关键调控作用,可为地下环境中微塑料污染的行为模拟与风险控制提供实验依据。
Abstract:ObjectiveAs an emerging class of contaminants, microplastics have been widely detected in soil and groundwater. Based on their origin, they can be classified into primary or secondary microplastics, and their loads in terrestrial systems may be 2-23 times those in the oceans. Groundwater serves as the drinking water source for approximately 50% of the global population and supplies 43% of agricultural irrigation water. Therefore, groundwater contamination by microplastics has become an increasing concern. Microplastics can enter groundwater systems through wastewater irrigation, landfill leachate infiltration, atmospheric wet and dry deposition, and surface water-groundwater exchange. However, their transport mechanisms in heterogeneous porous media remain unclear, which limits the prediction of their environmental behaviors and risk assessment.
MethodsIn this study, laboratory sand-column experiments were conducted to systematically investigate the transport characteristics of fluorescent polystyrene microplastics (200 and 800 nm) in three typical porous media: homogeneous coarse sand (particle size range: 1.18 to 1.40 mm), homogeneous fine sand (particle size range: from 0.12 to 0.13 mm), and a concentric heterogeneous structure (coarse sand in the center and fine sand at the periphery). Different conditions were set, including pH values (5, 7, 9), flow rates (0.5, 1.0 mL/min), and microplastic particle sizes (200, 800 nm), to observe their breakthrough behaviors. After injecting 3 pore volumes (PVs) of the microplastic suspension into the columns pre-equilibrated with 0.01 mol/L NaCl background solution, the columns were flushed with 5 PVs of the background solution. The effluent was collected and its fluorescence intensity was measured to construct breakthrough curves, and the columns were subsequently divided into 10 segments to quantify the retained microplastics and establish retention profiles. Batch adsorption experiments and zeta-potential measurements were also performed to characterize the surface properties of the sands and microplastics.
ResultsHeterogeneous media significantly altered the transport paths and retention distribution of microplastics. The breakthrough curves exhibited a typical bimodal pattern, reflecting the coexistence of preferential flow (in coarse sand regions) and retention zones (in fine-sand regions). The mobility of microplastics increased with increasing pH and flow rate. For example, in fine sand, the breakthrough rates were 103.17%, 87.06%, and 19.98% at pH 9, 7, and 5, respectively. In coarse sand, they increased from 69.30% to 95.87% as the flow rate increased from 0.5 to 1.0 mL/min. Meanwhile, the transport capacity of 200 nm particles was significantly greater than that of 800 nm particles, with breakthrough rates of 96.20% versus 69.30% in coarse sand and 75.61% versus 67.22% in the heterogeneous medium. The underlying mechanisms are as follows. Increased pH and decreased particle size promote transport by enhancing the electrostatic repulsion between microplastics and the medium surface and by weakening physical clogging, respectively, whereas higher flow rates increase the hydrodynamic force on microplastics, thereby reducing their adsorption capacity onto the medium surface.
ConclusionThis study reveals that the bimodal transport pattern of microplastics in heterogeneous media is dominated by the "fast-slow" dual-domain flow structure. It also clarifies the key regulatory roles of environmental factors such as pH, hydrodynamic conditions, and particle size. These findings provide experimental evidence for the behavior simulation and risk control of microplastic pollution in subsurface environments.
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Key words:
- polystyrene microplastics /
- groundwater /
- heterogeneous media /
- transport
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表 1 不同影响因素下砂柱中微塑料迁移实验的条件
Table 1. Experimental conditions for microplastic transport in sand columns under different factors
微塑料浓
度/(mg·L−1)介质
类型影响
因素微塑料
粒径/nm流速/
(mL·min−1)pH值 5 粗砂
细砂
非均质砂pH值 800 0.5 5, 7, 9 流速 800 0.5, 1.0 5 粒径 200, 800 0.5 5 表 2 微塑料和石英砂的平均粒径以及Zeta电位
Table 2. Average particle size and Zeta potential of microplastics and quartz sands
样品 粒径 pH值 Zeta电位/mV 粗砂 ( 1200 ±100) µm5 −34.17 7 −37.10 9 −39.60 细砂 (175±25) µm 5 −32.83 7 −36.70 9 −38.53 MPs 727.18 nm 5 −34.17 7 −41.33 9 −49.70 232.20 nm 5 −34.25 7 −40.63 9 −48.89 注:MPs. 为微塑料;下同 表 3 不同影响因素下微塑料在粗砂、细砂、非均质砂柱中的迁移实验的质量平衡分析
Table 3. Mass balance analysis of microplastic transport experiments in coarse sand, fine sand, and heterogeneous sand columns under different influencing factors
影响因素 水平 介质类型 穿透率/% 截留率/% 回收率/% pH值 5 粗砂 69.3 15.31 84.61 细砂 19.98 67.15 87.14 非均质砂 67.22 20.09 87.82 7 粗砂 102.17 0.25 102.43 细砂 87.06 4.08 91.15 非均质砂 95.71 1.29 97.01 9 粗砂 103.33 0.63 103.97 细砂 103.17 0.55 103.73 非均质砂 104.14 0.87 105.01 流速/(mL·min−1) 0.5 粗砂 69.3 15.31 84.61 细砂 19.98 67.15 87.14 非均质砂 67.22 20.09 87.82 1.0 粗砂 95.87 1.43 97.30 细砂 44.98 42.96 87.94 非均质砂 81.75 7.78 89.52 粒径/nm 200 粗砂 96.19 1.39 97.58 细砂 37.42 53.31 90.73 非均质砂 75.61 13.26 88.87 800 粗砂 69.3 15.31 84.61 细砂 19.98 67.15 87.14 非均质砂 67.22 20.09 87.82 -
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