Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly recognized as an emerging contaminant in terrestrial ecosystems, where they can alter soil structure and modify the transport of water and dissolved substances thus affecting subsurface nutrient transport and contaminant migration. While previous studies have reported changes in hydraulic conductivity and contaminant transport in microplastic-contaminated soils, the pore-scale mechanisms remain less studied. 

By combining column-scale experiments and microfluidic observations, we aim to investigate how microplastics influence pore-scale flow and solute transport dynamics. We use fluorescence microscopic imaging to understand how pore clogging by MP particles with different sizes and concentrations and subsequent changes in pore structure modify flow pathways and thus hydrodynamic dispersion of solutes, providing mechanistic insight into the observed macroscopic transport processes in MP-contaminated soils.

Related publication: Aminzadeh, M., Kokate, T., Chaudhry, A. U., Rabbani, H., Bijeljic, B., Blunt, M. J., & Shokri, N. (2025). Microplastic-induced alterations in water flow and solute transport dynamics in soil. Scientific Reports, 15, 42941. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-30476-6