Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID VA 2024 Foroutan

Microplastic Exchange Between Water and Gravel Beds in Streams: A Combined Flume Experiment and Numerical Simulation Approach

Institute: Virginia
Year Established: 2024 Start Date: 2024-09-01 End Date: 2025-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $10,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $10,000

Principal Investigators: Hosein Foroutan

Project Summary: This study investigates how microplastics move and accumulate in rivers and streams, particularly focusing on its motion across riverbeds that are composed of coarse gravels. By using a combination of physical experiments in a mini river(flume) and computer-based numerical simulations (CFD), we aim to understand the transport behavior of these tiny particles in streams. Our findings will help to delineate the potential accumulation zone of microplastics in rivers and predict how long they might persist there, providing crucial insights for plastics pollution management.