PRONTO

Project information

Particle Resuspension in environmental flows

Principal Investigator: Dr. Gregory Lecrivain, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)

DRESDEN-concept Partner: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernhard Vowinckel, TU Dresden

Project researcher: Dr. Ronaldo Luís Höhn

Duration: October 2024 until September 2026

Funded by: DRESDEN-concept (DDc)

Project description

Microplastic particles and other pollutants commonly accumulate in sediment beds and along riverbanks. When flow conditions intensify, for example during heavy rainfall, these particles may be released back into the water through a process known as resuspension. Such events can cause short but substantial increases in pollutant transport. Resuspension is particularly challenging to study because it can occur within seconds and takes place inside an opaque sediment bed, where conventional optical measurement techniques cannot directly observe particle motion. In particular, less is known about how particles with properties different from those of the surrounding sediment, such as lighter microplastic particles, are mobilized and released from within the bed.

To address these challenges, PRONTO combines laboratory experiments and high-resolution numerical simulations. At HZDR, experiments are conducted in a recirculating water channel using ultrafast X-ray computed tomography. This technique makes it possible to detect and track particles both inside the sediment bed and after their release into the flow. At TU Dresden, particle-resolved simulations reproduce the channel geometry and flow conditions, providing a detailed virtual representation of particle resuspension in turbulent flow.

The experimental and numerical results will be used to develop a unified model of particle resuspension for practical environmental applications. PRONTO brings together HZDR’s unique multiphase-flow measurement technology with TU Dresden’s high-resolution simulation tools and research infrastructure for investigating sediment and microplastic transport.