The impact of biofilms and dissolved organic matter on the transport of nanoparticles in field-scale streams

Abstract

The fate and transport of nanoparticles (NPs) in streams is critical for understanding their overall environmental impact. Using a unique field-scale stream at the Notre Dame-Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility, we investigated the impact of biofilms and the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the transport of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) NPs. Experimental breakthrough curves were analyzed using temporal moments and fit using a mobile-immobile model. The presence of biofilms in the stream severely reduced the transport of the TiO₂ NPs, but this was mitigated by the presence of DOM. Under minimal biofilm conditions, the presence of DOM increased the mass recovery of TiO₂ from 4.2% to 32% for samples taken 50 m downstream. For thriving biofilm conditions only 0.5% of the TiO₂ mass was recovered (50 m), but the presence of DOM improved the mass recovery TiO₂ to 36%. The model was suitable for predicting early, peak, tail, and truncation time portions of the breakthrough curves, which attests to its ability to capture a range of processes in the mobile and immobile domains of the stream. The model outcomes supported the hypothesis that DOM changed the interaction of NP-biofilm from an irreversible to a reversible process. Collectively, these outcomes stress the importance of considering biogeological complexity when predicting the transport of NPs in streams.

Keywords: Biofilms; Dissolved organic matter; Field-scale; Mobile-immobile; Nanoparticles; Streams; Titanium dioxide; Transport.