A review of methods for modeling microplastic transport in the marine environments.

Microplastic (MP) pollution is ubiquitous in the oceans and poses serious threats to the marine ecosystems. Nowadays numerical modeling has become one of the widely used tools for monitoring and predicting the transport and fate of MP in marine environments. Despite the growing body of research on numerical modeling of marine MP, the advantages and disadvantages of various modeling methods have not received systematic evaluation in published works. Important aspects such as parameterization schemes for MP behaviors, factors influencing MP transport, and proper configuration in beaching are essential for guiding researchers to choose proper methods in their work. For this purpose, we comprehensively reviewed the current knowledge on factors influencing MP transport, classified modeling approaches according to the governing equations, and summarized up-to-date parameterization schemes for MP behaviors. Critical factors such as vertical velocity, biofouling, degradation, fragmentation, beaching, and washing-off were reviewed in the frame of MP transport processes.

Effect of biochar on transformation of dissolved organic matter and DTPA-extractable Cu and Cd during sediment composting.

This study investigated the influence of biochar on temperature, pH, organic matter (OM), seed germination index (GI), the fluorescent components of dissolved organic matter (DOM), and bioavailability of DTPA-extractable Cu and Cd during composting and analyzed the relation between DTPA-extractable metals with pH, OM, and the fluorescent components of DOM. Results showed that the addition of biochar shortened the thermophilic phase, reduced the pH at maturation period, accelerated the decomposition of OM, and raised GI. Besides, it promoted the formation of components with benzene ring in FA and HyI and the degradation of protein-like organic-matters in FA and HA, which was mainly related with the decrease of DTPA-extractable Cd and the increase of DTPA-extractable Cu. After composting, DTPA-extractable Cd in pile A and pile B were decreased by 37.15% and 27.54%, respectively, while the bioavailability of Cu in pile A and pile B was increased by 65.71% and 68.70%, respectively. All these findings demonstrate positive and negative impact produced by biochar into various heavy metals and the necessary of optimization measures with biochar in sediment composting.

Utilization of nanomaterials for in-situ remediation of heavy metal(loid) contaminated sediments: A review.

Heavy metal(loid)s are toxic and non-biodegradable environmental pollutants. The contamination of sediments with heavy metal(loid)s has attracted increasing attention due to the negative environmental effects of heavy metal(loid)s and the development of new remediation techniques for metal(loid) contaminated sediments. As a result of rapid nanotechnology development, nanomaterials are also being increasingly utilized for the remediation of contaminated sediments due to their excellent capacity of immobilizing/adsorbing metal(loid) ions. This review summarizes recent studies that have used various nanomaterials such as nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), stabilizer-modified nZVI, nano apatite based-materials including nano-hydroxyapatite particles (nHAp) and stabilized nano-chlorapatite (nCLAP), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) for the remediation of heavy metal(loid) contaminated sediments. We also review the analysis of potential mechanisms involved in the interaction of nanomaterials with metal(loid) ions. Subsequently, we discuss the factors affecting the nanoparticle-heavy metal(loid)s interaction, the environmental impacts resulting from the application of nanomaterials, the knowledge gaps, and potential future research.