20.500.12556/RUL-185053 Biofilm formation reverses polymer-specific microplastic transport through saturated sediments research data underlying the article Microplastic transport through sediments controls their long-term subsurface storage, remobilization potential, and transfer between aquatic and subsurface environments, yet the mechanisms governing their retention under environmentally relevant conditions remain unresolved. Here, we investigated the transport of polyethylene (PE) and polylactic acid (PLA) fragments, including pristine and biotically aged particles, through saturated sediments with different granulometries. Across all sediment types, mechanical straining imposed a size-selective barrier at the inlet, capturing ≥40% of particles within the first 7.5 cm and restricting downstream transport to fractions <150 µm. Beyond this interface, sediment grain size determines how particles travel: larger pores reduce physical straining, causing transport pathways to diverge based on polymer density. Biotic aging fundamentally altered these transport behaviours. Biofilm formation enhanced PE retention, reducing breakthrough by 65%, while promoted deeper transport of PLA suggesting that biofilm modify particle–sediment interactions based on polymer characteristics. Our findings highlight that predicting microplastic fate in sediment requires incorporating plastic types, sediment structures, particle size distributions, and biological transformations to better understand microplastic transport in aquatic systems. biofilm microplastics sediment transport biofilm mikroplastika sediment transport true false false Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Neznano 2026-07-21 21:43:27 2026-07-21 22:00:04 2026-07-22 04:04:20 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 0000-00-00 NiDoloceno NiDoloceno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 Data_description.txt Data_description.txt Data description 1 4A52154B2884FA54D990914989F10B7A 89fdbcb1a55c33e37f4d94f95d409279649ca29911b72994a9b0013279bdb8c7 25c54ffb-853e-11f1-9b0d-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=243093 Data_experiments.xlsx Data_experiments.xlsx Data experiments 1 9FE52225A9B2FFC1BF69FD14759EFB99 3cdc2d9dc628635c0616c5eff1d769d6ab9610af8d0f47e7b967b25f82886405 3b9c80ed-853e-11f1-9b0d-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=243094 Data_characterization.xlsx Data_characterization.xlsx Data characterization 1 66EC4501600564D04EB5E4752096E038 8cb3c66aa4112909fa047a9e4c355a94b76ef8f23f0c6cf477fc8df1b5301d6a 6380eaa8-853e-11f1-9b0d-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=243095 Fakulteta za kemijo in kemijsko tehnologijo Meritve in testi 0 0 0