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Updated: May 14, 2026
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Freeze-Fracture Electron Microscopy for Extracellular Vesicle Analysis
Published on: September 16, 2022
Virus transport in a discrete fracture
Noam Weisbrod1, Hanan Meron, Sharon Walker
1Department of Environmental Hydrology & Microbiology, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 192, Midreshet Ben Gurion 84990, Israel. weisbrod@bgu.ac.il
Water Research
|February 6, 2013
Summary
Tracer experiments show that fracture transport is influenced by particle size and type. Viruses and microspheres of different sizes exhibit varied breakthrough curves, highlighting the importance of colloid properties in fractured porous media.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Geochemistry
- Microbiology
Background:
- Understanding solute and colloid transport in fractured porous media is crucial for contaminant fate and transport studies.
- Naturally fractured chalk formations present complex pathways for subsurface fluid flow and contaminant migration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transport behavior of different sized colloidal tracers (bacteriophages and microspheres) and solutes in a fractured chalk core.
- To compare the breakthrough curves (BTCs) of various tracers and analyze the influence of tracer size, type, and physicochemical properties on their transport.
Main Methods:
- Tracer experiments using Li(+), Br(-), MS2, ϕX174, T4 bacteriophages, and fluorescent latex microspheres (20 nm and 200 nm) in a fractured chalk core.
- Constant flux injection at the fracture inlet and collection at the outlet to generate breakthrough curves (BTCs).
- Analysis and comparison of BTCs to evaluate tracer recovery, arrival time, and transport dynamics.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in tracer recovery and BTCs were observed based on tracer size and type.
- Larger colloids (∼200 nm) showed more pronounced peaks and higher recoveries than smaller colloids (∼20 nm).
- Solute tracers exhibited significantly longer residence times (5-15 times slower) compared to both sizes of colloidal tracers.
Conclusions:
- Fractures act as effective conduits for virus transport, with virus properties governing their movement.
- Size and electrostatic interactions play a key role in the transport and pore-scale interactions of tracers within the chalk matrix.
- Colloidal properties, including size, density, surface chemistry, and shape, significantly impact their transport behavior in fractured media.
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