Document Type : Review Article
Authors
1 Department of Nanotechnology, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII), Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
2 researcher of Soil and Water Research Department,. Isfahan Agriculture and Natural Resources Research and Education Center. Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension Organization (AREEO), Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Today, microplastics as an emerging pollutant are an important issue and a global concern, especially in soil and groundwater due to their high stability in the environment and inherent toxicity. Microplastics enter the soil and groundwater environment from various sources, including the atmosphere, interaction with surface water bodies, urban infrastructure or agricultural soils. Mechanical, physical, chemical, and biological transfer processes can affect the dynamics and behavior of microplastics transfer through pores and fractures, as well as interaction with colloidal aggregates in the soil and groundwater environment, through mechanical pressure, physicochemical reactions, and bioturbation. The fate of microplastics in the subsurface porous medium strongly depends on the nature of the receiving medium (electrolyte, ionic strength, dissolved organic matter, etc.), living organisms, the nature of microplastics (density, chemical composition, size, shape, functional groups, and surface coating) and water chemistry. Microplastics are absorbents and activators of other pollutants during infiltration and drainage processes due to their hydrophobic nature, absorption capacity and high surface area which leads to the spread of pollution. Therefore, the restoration of contaminated resources is necessary to protect the health of the ecosystem and humans with innovative materials and technologies. Nanotechnology as a comprehensive approach plays an effective role in the three fields of absorption, membrane process and photocatalytic degradation of microplastics. Although safety considerations, environmental consequences, as well as the performance of nanomaterials in removal of microplastics from the real environment need further investigation.
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