Goals
Aims to (a) quantify the growth of biofilms on microplastics, (b) investigate the effects of biofouling on microplastic vertical transport and resuspension, and (c) incorporate these findings in a riverine transport and fate model.
Summary
Microplastics are found across all aquatic environments. To understand the implications of their presence in the environment, we need to understand the fate of microplastics. Numerical models are a necessary tool to predict the fate of microplastics in the environment. Depending on the model’s complexity, certain (transport) processes are not included, or implemented in a simplified manner. Biofouling is one of these processes. Biofouling is the process of microorganisms attaching to the substrate surface, after which a film develops due to the microorganisms secreting extracellular polymeric substances. In the case of microplastics, this biofilm has been coined the plastisphere. This project aims to evaluate the impact of biofouling on microplastic transport in rivers. The first experiment will determine how biofouling is influenced by environmental and particle factors, such as turbulence and particle shape. The growth of a biofilm translates into an increase in particle density and size. Two other experiments will look at the impact of biofouling on vertical transport and the resuspension of microplastics. The outcomes of all three experiments will be parametrizations, describing the relationship between biofouling and the aforementioned processes. These parametrizations will be implemented in a numerical fate model, improving our predictive capabilities of fluvial microplastic transport.
Collaborators
Bart Koelmans, Ton Hoitink, Merel Kooi
Output
tba
Environmental Fluid Mechanics 