1. Microplastics elutriation system
- Author
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Mikaël Kedzierski, Patrick Bourseau, Stéphane Bruzaud, Olivier Sire, Véronique Le Tilly, and Guy César
- Subjects
Microplastics ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,business.industry ,Context (language use) ,010501 environmental sciences ,Aquatic Science ,Elutriation ,Oceanography ,01 natural sciences ,Pollution ,Column (database) ,6. Clean water ,Environmental science ,Density limit ,Extraction (military) ,Process engineering ,business ,Suspension (vehicle) ,Dimensioning ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
Elutriation is an efficient process for extracting microplastics. The development of a numerical model has shown the need for optimizing aspects of the design of the actual elutriation protocol as well as the dimensioning of the column to increase its efficiency. The study aims to propose new dimensioning data and protocol elements for designing an efficient column. Using a numerical model, the filling velocity was calculated as a function of the size and the density of the particles to prevent sand suspension. The sieving protocol was adapted to increase the density limit for the extraction of plastic particles from 1460 to >1800 kg·m−3. The durations of the elutriation and the column height were calculated to improve the control of the particle suspension. These results contribute to the development of the next generation of elutriation system and will accelerate the study of plasticome in the context of sandy sediments.
- Published
- 2018