Academic literature on the topic 'Microplastics'
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Journal articles on the topic "Microplastics"
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Wahyuni, N. S., Efadeswarni, Syuhada, C. Liza, A. Sudaryanto, S. Sulistia, I. B. Wahyono, et al. "Abundance of microplastics in Cisadane river - Indonesia." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1388, no. 1 (September 1, 2024): 012060. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1388/1/012060.
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Abstract Microplastics have become a serious threat to the aquatic environment, water treatment facilities, and riverside residents because they are persistent. Microplastics generally come from plastic waste produced by human and industrial activities that enter the rivers. In this study, the Cisadane River was studied for microplastic presence. Sampling was conducted at 11 points along the Cisadane River from the upstream (Muria Jaya) to the downstream (Teluk Naga). Samples were taken using a 200-mesh plankton net and then analyzed using a digital microscope for the microplastic’s presence, sizes, and shapes. Furthermore, material identification was conducted using a Raman Spectroscopy Microscope to determine the material type of microplastic in the samples. According to the result, the Cisadane River contains microplastics of various shapes and sizes. The result shows the abundance of microplastics of 0.8-9.6 particles/m3 0.8-26.4 particles/m3 in fibers and fragments, respectively. Microplastics in the form of fragments are the most dominant form. The size of microplastics varies from 65 to 4,932 μm for fibers and 23 to 2,444 μm for fragments. These differences are due to primary and secondary microplastic degradation rates through weathering, abrasion, mechanical disintegration, photolysis, and microbiological activity. The colors of microplastics found were blue, brown, cream, red, black, and transparent, with transparent being the most dominant color. The material types found were polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP).
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van Praagh, Martijn, and Bettina Liebmann. "MICROPLASTICS IN LANDFILL LEACHATES IN THREE NORDIC COUNTRIES." Detritus, no. 17 (December 28, 2021): 58–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.31025/2611-4135/2021.15149.
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We investigated the occurrence of microplastics (size range 5,000-50 µm) in leachates at 11 landfills of different age and operational status in Finland, Iceland and Norway. Collective sampling was carried out by pumping leachate with a stainless-steel submergible pump through a custom-made, stainless-steel filter unit containing filter plates with decreasing pore sizes (5,000, 417 and 47 µm, respectively). Samples were pre-treated and split into particles size classes above 500 μm and above 50 μm, and screened for occurrence of microplastics made of PE, PP, PVC, PS, PET, PA, PU, PC, PMMA, POM, SBR (rubber) or PMB (polymer modified bitumen). Samples were analysed by FT-IR spectroscopy, both to identify and to count microplastic particles (SBR and PMB were merely identified). Most samples tested positive for multiple microplastics. Three leachates, including drinking water (blank), tested positive for SBR particles and/or PMB only. Treated leachate samples exhibited lower total microplastic’s counts than untreated, up to several orders of magnitude. National waste management practices over time, landfill age or operational status do not seem to explain differences in microplastic abundance or counts between leachates. Particle count and calculated loads of microplastic emissions through leachates differed several orders of magnitude between landfills. Results indicate that landfill leachates might be a relatively small source of microplastics (>50 µm) to surface waters compared to untreated and treated sewage or road runoff. Continued data acquisition, improved sample preparation and understanding of variability of microplastics in landfill leachate are necessary, including particles smaller than 50 µm.
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Kristanti, Risky Ayu, Wei Lin Wong, Yeti Darmayati, Ariani Hatmanti, Nilam Fadmaulidha Wulandari, Mada Triandala Sibero, Nur Fitriah Afianti, Erika Hernandes, and Flavio Lopez-Martinez. "Characteristics of Microplastic in Commercial Aquatic Organisms." Tropical Aquatic and Soil Pollution 2, no. 2 (December 14, 2022): 134–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.53623/tasp.v2i2.134.
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This study aims to review the occurrence of microplastics in some commercial aquatic organisms. Microplastics are small plastic particles with a diameter of less than 5 mm. Effluent, stormwater, agricultural, and surface runoff introduce microplastic to freshwater basins. Hydrodynamics and hydrology encompass microplastics. River flow speed can cause turbulence and riverbed instability, increasing microplastic concentrations. Fish, shellfish, and crustaceans ingest microplastics in proportion to their quantity in freshwater and marine environments. Human activities cause variations in the form, color, and size of microplastics in the biota. Animals absorb microplastics through trophic transfer. Increased microplastic residence time before ingestion promotes trophic transmission. Lower food concentration and aggregation enhance microplastic retention in zooplankton guts, increasing transmission to higher-trophic-level species. Most studies show that microplastics in biota are discovered in fish and crustacean intestines and bivalve tissues. Microplastic buildup can disrupt live organisms' growth and reproduction, induce oxidative stress, obstruct the digestive system, and damage the intestine. Microplastics may harm people's health if they eat contaminated seafood that contains them, but more research is needed.
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Sun, Xiangying, Yunjie Zhu, Lihui An, Yan Liu, Yin Zhuang, Yubang Wang, Mingdong Sun, and Qiujin Xu. "Microplastic Transportation in a Typical Drinking Water Supply: From Raw Water to Household Water." Water 16, no. 11 (May 30, 2024): 1567. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w16111567.
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Microplastics in drinking water have attracted increasing global concerns due to their potential adverse impacts on human health. However, there needs to be more knowledge of the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in drinking water systems from water sources to household tap water. Herein, laser direct infrared spectroscopy is used to investigate the occurrence of microplastics in a typical drinking water plant with different water sources. Microplastic information is further used to understand microplastic fates during drinking water supply, including microplastic abundance, size, shape, and polymer type. Overall, the microplastic abundance in treated water ranges from 12.00 to 25.33 particles/L, higher than those in raw water (RW; 2.33–17.33 particles/L) and household water (HW; 8.00–19.67 particles/L), which shows that microplastics are not removed from RW. The main polymers in these microplastics are polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, and polypropylene. At the same time, the main microplastic shapes are fragments and fibers. Small-sized microplastics of 20–100 μm account for up to 76.74% and 79.30% of microplastics during the dry and wet seasons, respectively. Additionally, more microplastics are detected in RW from rivers than those from reservoirs and lakes, and the microplastic abundance in the wet season is higher than that in the dry season. As expected, the potential ecological risk of microplastics in all waters is the I level, which is the lowest level. Most importantly, the annual microplastic intake of an adult via drinking water is 5063–18,301 microplastics, less than that reported in previous studies. These results provide valuable data on the fates of microplastics in drinking water supply systems from water sources to HW and promote authorities to update the treatment technologies for drinking water in the future to remove microplastics efficiently.
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Vasilopoulou, Grigoria, George Kehayias, Demetris Kletou, Periklis Kleitou, Vassilios Triantafyllidis, Anastasios Zotos, Konstantinos Antoniadis, et al. "Microplastics Investigation Using Zooplankton Samples from the Coasts of Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean)." Water 13, no. 16 (August 19, 2021): 2272. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w13162272.
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The Mediterranean Sea has the highest accumulation of microplastics in the world. Although numerous studies about microplastic’s abundance and distribution have been conducted, the majority sampled surface waters. Especially for the Eastern Mediterranean, there is no information concerning the deeper strata. This study fills this gap by studying the microplastic spatial and temporal distribution along the coasts of Cyprus, utilizing zooplankton samples collected from the entire 0–50 m depth layer. The average microplastics’ abundance was 41.31 ± 22.41 items/m3 indicating that the Eastern Mediterranean seems to be much more polluted than the western basin. The fibers outnumbered the abundance of the fragments by a factor of ten. Most fibers were sized between 0.5 and 1.0 mm, and 81.24% were transparent. The average area of the fragments was ≤0.05 mm2, and most of them were hard-rounded (53.38%). The microplastics to zooplankton ratio ranged between 0.021 and 0.241. A positive correlation was found between the abundance of microplastics and the total zooplankton, especially the copepods. Studies of microplastics in zooplankton samples taken from the water column are expected to provide better insights into the role of these pollutants in marine ecosystems.
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P, Agamuthu. "Quantification of Microplastic in Locally Brewed Beers in Malaysia." Open Access Journal of Waste Management & Xenobiotics 7, no. 2 (May 30, 2024): 1–4. http://dx.doi.org/10.23880/oajwx-16000195.
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Humans ingest five grams of microplastics on a weekly basis. Beverages serve as a microplastic conduit for entering the human body. Nevertheless, beer received minimal attention on microplastics despite its popularity. The objective of this study is to measure the quantity of microplastic particles that are present in locally brewed and packed beers and the amount of microplastic consumed by the beer drinkers in Malaysia. To accomplish this, a total of 15 beer samples from 5 distinct brands were examined. The analysis indicated that microplastics fibres measuring less than 0.5mm and fragments measuring less than 0.1mm were present in all the beer samples. The concentration of microplastics ranged from 75.8 to 212 particles per litre. The microplastics solely exhibited the colours black, blue, brown, and red. This study has quantified the amount of microplastic consumed by beer drinkers in Malaysia, which ranged from 533 to 1484 microplastic particles per year, depending on the specific brand of beer. This discovery enhances our understanding of microplastic pollution in beer and the potential accumulation of microplastics in those who consume it.
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Bao, Mengrong, Xiaoqin Xiang, Jianshi Huang, Lingwei Kong, Juan Wu, and Shuiping Cheng. "Microplastics in the Atmosphere and Water Bodies of Coastal Agglomerations: A Mini-Review." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 3 (January 30, 2023): 2466. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032466.
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Microplastics are ubiquitously in various environments from the equator to the poles. Coastal agglomerations act as both a source and sink connecting the global microplastic cycles of oceans and continents. While the problem of microplastics is particularly severe and complex in the coastal zones, where both inland and marine pollution are concentrated, the present study aimed to provide hot topics and trends of coastal urban microplastic studies and to review the researches on microplastic pollution in the atmosphere and water bodies in coastal agglomerations in terms of characteristics, behavior, and health threat of microplastics. The results of the bibliometric analysis showed an increase in the annual output of microplastic research. Research hot topics and clusters were analyzed using the VOSviewer. Characteristics of microplastics varied in abundance, size, and polymer type in different environments and countries. Furthermore, coastal cities are taken as a system to sort out the input, output, and internal transmission pathways of microplastics. The health threat of microplastics to urban residents was briefly reviewed and the exposure and health risks of microplastics to infants and young children were of particular concern. Detailed and comprehensive studies on intervention and reduction in the transmission of microplastics between the atmosphere and water bodies, whether microplastics are harmful to infants and young children, and measures to reduce the risk of microplastic exposure are needed.
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Rahmayanti, Rita, Basith Kuncoro Adji, and Andhika Puspito Nugroho. "Microplastic Pollution in the Inlet and Outlet Networks of Rawa Jombor Reservoir: Accumulation in Aquatic Fauna, Interactions with Heavy Metals, and Health Risk Assessment." Environment and Natural Resources Journal 20, no. 2 (January 24, 2022): 1–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.32526/ennrj/20/202100200.
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Streams are regarded as a pathway for spreading microplastics from land to various aquatic systems. The contamination of streams connected to the Rawa Jombor Reservoir may increase microplastic concentrations in the reservoir. The water coming out of the reservoir carries microplastics that spread out into the stream networks around the reservoir. Heavy metals have a high affinity for microplastics, increasing metal burdens on the surface of microplastics. The transfer of microplastics along the food chain leads to the possibility of increased adverse effects on organisms, mainly top predators. This research evaluated the accumulation and characterization of microplastics in water, sediment, and aquatic fauna (zooplankton, benthos, and fish); interactions with heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn); and health risk assessment. Microplastics were collected from six sampling locations. The density, type of polymers, and color of microplastics were analyzed, as well as heavy metal concentrations on the surface of microplastics and a health risk assessment. The results showed microplastic contamination at a moderate level. The accumulation of microplastics in aquatic fauna showed the same pattern as microplastics in the environment. Microplastic concentrations in aquatic fauna showed an increase through trophic transfer and indications of biomagnification. Heavy metals were adsorbed on the surface of microplastics in high concentrations. Based on the health risk assessment, microplastic contamination of fish at the inlet and outlet of the Rawa Jombor Reservoir is still safe, but further monitoring is needed because of the possible long-term health hazards that may arise.
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Ilmiawati, Ilmiawati, Liganda Endo Mahata, Gestina Aliska, Erlina Rustam, Yusticia Katar, Rahmatini Rahmatini, Julizar Julizar, and Elly Usman. "Peningkatan Pengetahuan Masyarakat tentang Bahaya Paparan Mikroplastik dan Dampaknya bagi Kesehatan." Jurnal Warta Pengabdian Andalas 29, no. 3 (September 30, 2022): 305–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.25077/jwa.29.3.305-311.2022.
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Plastic is a global problem; plastic pollution production reaches 350 million tons annually. This plastic pollution will be degraded into microplastic. This microplastic will pollute the environment and negatively impacted health if exposed too much. Recent research has found microplastics in clothes, toys, and even food. The Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas conducts outreach to the public to enhance the general public's understanding of microplastics and their impact on health. The outreach activity began with filling out a pre-test to assess the public's understanding of microplastics. Followed by education about microplastic exposure, the dangers of microplastics, and education about a healthy lifestyle to reduce sources of microplastic exposure. The event ended with filling out a post-test by participants. Paired t-test analysis on pre-test and post-test data showed an increase in public understanding regarding microplastics, sources of exposure, health impacts and ways to reduce microplastic exposure. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the provision of public service can increase public understanding regarding the sources of microplastics and their impact on health and encourage people to live a healthy lifestyle that minimizes exposure to microplastics.
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Henny, C., D. Rohaningsih, T. Suryono, A. B. Santoso, and A. Waluyo. "Microplastic pollution in the surface water of Lake Singkarak, Indonesia." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1118, no. 1 (December 1, 2022): 012050. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1118/1/012050.
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Abstract Microplastic pollution is already at an “alarming” level in Indonesia’s marine and freshwater ecosystems. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has reported the microplastic occurrence in the lake ecosystem in Indonesia. Lake Singkarak, a big tectonic lake, has been considered one of the priority lakes to be restored. The lake receives a high influx of plastic waste from rivers and catchment runoff. Controlling the outflow through the hydropower dam and the sluice in the main lake outlet may prevent the microplastic’s outflux. The study’s objective was to determine the microplastic first occurrence and abundance in the lake’s surface water. Water samples were collected from three sites in the lake inlet area, one in the intake area of the hydropower dam and one in the outlet area, by performing four parallel trawls in each site using a modified plankton net. The most abundant microplastics in the lake’s surface water were 9 particles/m3 in the lake inlet area, which received a high plastic waste input from the river. The lowest abundance was 2 particles/m3 in the main lake outlet area. Foams and fragments, white and clear in color, size of 300 μm, were the dominant types of microplastics observed. Our preliminary study suggests that the lake could act as a sink of microplastics. Therefore, ceasing the input sources of plastic waste from the river should be prioritized to prevent further microplastic pollution of Lake Singkarak.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Microplastics"
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Klein, Sascha. "Microplastics in Freshwater Systems." Doctoral thesis, Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2016. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-200861.
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Synthetic polymers are one of the most significant pollutants in the aquatic environment, because of abilities such as buoyancy and extreme persistency. Serious effects are expected from so-called microplastics (particle size <5 mm) that are reported in rivers, lakes as well as the ocean and that accumulate in sediments worldwide.
In this thesis the abundance of microplastics in river shore sediments in the Rhine-Main area of Germany was studied. Therefore, a new method was developed that is based on a sodium chloride density separation with subsequent destruction of natural debris, and identification of the plastic particles by microscopy or Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).
Using the improved density separation, microplastics were separated from river shore sediments of 12 sites originating from the river Rhine, the river Main, and the stream Schwarzbach. Large amounts of microplastic particles of up to 1 g kg-1 or up to 4000 particles kg-1 were detected in the shore sediments. The identification by FTIR showed that polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene were the most abundant polymer types in the sediments, covering over 75% of all plastics identified. Transport of microplastics from tributaries to main streams was indicated by the detection of identical pellets in the River Rhine and in the Main mouth. Comparable concentrations detected by sampling one site over a period of two years suggest a constant pollution of the river shore sediments with microplastics.
For deeper insights into the sorption process of organic contaminants to synthetic polymers in freshwater systems, batch experiments in synthetic freshwater were conducted to determine sorption kinetics and sorption isotherms for four selected glass state polymers (polycarbonate, poly(methyl methacrylate), polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride) and six different model substances (carbamazepine, hexachlorocyclohexane (β/γ), 17α-ethynilestradiol, chlorpyrifos, and o,p-dichlorodiphenyltrichlorethane). Sorption to the polymer particles was observed for all contaminants increasing with the KOW values of the contaminants. Because of losses of contaminants in control samples, sorption reaction models could be applied to four out of six contaminants, and isotherms were calculated for three contaminants. Furthermore, influences of the different polymer types used were observed in the experiments.
Finally, microplastics separated from sediments were extracted and analyzed by GC/MS and LC-MS/MS using target screening methods and non-target approaches. Different pesticides were identified in the polymer particles, suggesting that microplastics can act as a sink for hydrophobic contaminants. Moreover, several plastic additives such as phthalates or chlorinated flame retardants were identified. For this reason, it is very likely that microplastics act as a direct source for these chemicals in aquatic systems. The results of this thesis stress the urgency for the mitigation of the plastic particles in the aquatic environment.
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Sucharitakul, Phuping. "Sources, effects and trophic transfer of microplastics in jellyfish." Thesis, Griffith University, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/408941.
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A discrepancy between high plastic production rates and low recycling rates contributes to a ubiquitous plastic pollution problem. If this discrepancy persists, it is estimated that approximately 12 billion tons of plastics will accumulate in the environment by 2050. Although many countries have issued policies to limit the utilisation of single use plastics, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demands for plastics and overwhelmed waste management systems. Thus, plastic pollution will persist, especially in marine environments where most mismanaged plastics accumulate. Plastics in the marine environment slowly disintegrate into microplastics (<5 mm) and adversely affect many animals when ingested. Thus, microplastics have recently been identified as an emerging contaminant of concern internationally, resulting in an exponential growth in the number of microplastic studies within the last decade. Studies in some ecologically important animals such as jellyfish, however, are preliminary. For example, jellyfish are claimed to ingest microplastics via trophic transfer and have been promoted as bioindicators for plastic pollution despite limited evidence. Moreover, although microplastics in the field are covered by biofilms, all jellyfish and microplastic experiments have used virgin microbeads that might underestimate ingestion rates. This thesis, therefore, tested three hypotheses: 1) that jellyfish would ingest microplastics and they would be adversely affected by microplastic ingestion (chapter 2), 2) that jellyfish would mainly accumulate microplastics via indirect ingestion (i.e. trophic transfer) and biofilms would promote ingestion rates (chapter 3), 3) that jellyfish would be useful bioindicators of microplastic pollution and treated wastewater would be a significant source of microplastics in an estuary (chapter 4).
Medusae of Aurelia coerulea were exposed to 2,000 polystyrene microbeads L-1 and determined numbers of microbeads ingested. In addition, impacts of microbead ingestion on respiration rates and histology of their gut tissues were assessed (Chapter 2). No tissue damage was observed and respiration rates were unaffected by ingestion of microbeads. Importantly, the medusae ingested less than 0.2% of microbeads offered, egested microbeads within eight hours and stopped ingesting the microbeads after 16 hours, suggesting that the medusae may recognise virgin microbeads as non-food items. I, therefore, exposed the medusae to microbeads with photosynthetic biofilms, microbeads with heterotrophic biofilms and virgin microbeads (Chapter 3). Medusae ingested more microbeads with photosynthetic biofilms than microbeads with heterotrophic biofilms or virgin microbeads. The results highlight that the use of aged microbeads in experiments is important as the ingestion rates may be underestimated if virgin microbeads are used. Although jellyfish are claimed to acquire microbeads via trophic transfer, no studies had tested whether trophic transfer is a dominant pathway as jellyfish can also ingest microplastics directly from their surrounding water. Thus, I exposed ephyrae of Aurelia coerulea to aged microbeads (to test direct ingestion) and to Artemia nauplii fed aged microbeads (to test trophic transfer), and quantifued numbers of microbeads in the gastrovascular cavities (Chapter 3). I found that the ephyrae ingested 35 times more microbeads via trophic transfer than direct ingestion, suggesting that trophic transfer is the primary pathway by which jellyfish acquire microbeads. Furthermore, I investigated whether jellyfish in the field are susceptible to microplastic ingestion and whether jellyfish can be bioindicators of microplastic pollution. Water samples and medusae of Chrysaora cf pentostoma were collected nearby and distant from treated wastewater diffusers in two estuaries (the Gold Coast Broadwater and the Tweed River Estuary) that receive contrasting amounts of wastewater, to test whether microplastics in the guts of medusae represented those in the environment (Chapter 4). Only 83% of the medusae sampled contained microplastics and types and colours of microplastics in the gastrovascular cavities of jellyfish differed to those in the surrounding water. Thus, medusae are not good bioindicators of microplastic pollution because not all medusae acquire microplastics and the microplastics they accumulated did not reflect those in their environment. I also tested whether the released treated wastewater would have significant effects on microplastic concentrations and compositions in the receiving waters of the estuaries as wastewater treatment plants are claimed to be one of the significant sources of microplastics. I found no significant difference between microplastic concentrations and compositions nearby and distant from wastewater releases in either estuary. Thus, treated wastewater had no detectable impacts on microplastic concentrations and compositions in the receiving waters. Results from both laboratory and field experiments (Chapter2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4) strongly indicated that jellyfish accumulate relativly small amounts of microplastics and are poor bioindicators for microplastic pollution.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Environment and Sc
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
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Sabienski, Lina. "Characterization of microplastics in wastewater." Thesis, Örebro universitet, Institutionen för naturvetenskap och teknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-86249.
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This study aims to detect how many microplastics and what kind are released from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) Skebäck, in Örebro. The study was limited to the analysis of three filters with 50 μm mesh size and one filter with 300 μm mesh size. The samples were taken at different times, two in the fall of 2019 and one in the spring of 2020. Visual characterization was used for the quantification of microplastics, and a lower and upper bound was used. The lower bound represents particles that were deemed identifiable as plastic with high certainty, while the upper bound also includes particles that may have been microplastic. An additional ATR-FTIR analysis was performed on selected microplastics >300 μm. The presence of microplastics in the effluent from Skebäcks WWTP could be confirmed. The quantity of microplastics per m3 (MP/m3) trapped on the 50 μm filters were quantified in a range between 0 MP/m3 to 291 MP/m3 for the lower bound, and 72 MP/m3 to 435 MP/m3 for the upper bound. The 300 μm filter had considerably less microplastics than the 50 μm filter with 1.8 MP/m3. The quantification of fibers on the 50 μm filter and 300 μm filters was not possible due to high blank contaminations. According to the concentration of 63 MP/m3 of the lower bound count on the 50 μm filters and the amount of water flowing through Skebäck in 2019, 17 818 935 m3, 1.1 billion microplastic particles were released into Svartån that year. In comparison the highest value of the upper bound count, 435 MP/m3, gave a release of 7.7 billion microplastic particles. Using the concentration of the 300 μm filter 1.8 MP/m3, 32 million microplastics/year were released from Skebäck in 2019. The amount of spheres 50-300 μm released in the effluent from Skebäck was estimated to be 3.7 kg in 2019.
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Cole, Matthew. "The impacts of microplastics on zooplankton." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/15288.
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In recent years there has been growing environmental concern regarding ‘microplastics’: microscopic plastic granules, fibres and fragments, categorised as <1 or <5 mm diameter. Microplastics are manufactured to be of a microscopic size, or derive from the photo- and mechanical degradation and subsequent fragmentation of larger plastic litter. Microplastics debris has been identified in the water column and sediments of marine and freshwater ecosystems across the globe, although difficulties in sampling and isolating smaller particulates has resulted in the abundance of <333 µm microplastics being under-reported. Microplastics are bioavailable to a range of aquatic organisms, including fish, seabirds and benthic invertebrates, and can be trophically transferred. The consumption of plastic debris can result in gut blockages, heightened immune response and a loss of lipid reserves. The potential risk to food security, and thereby human health, has led regulators to call for better understanding of the fate and effects of microplastic debris on marine life. Here I tested the hypothesis that microplastics can be ingested by and may negatively impact upon zooplankton. Zooplankton encompass a range of aquatic animals that form a key trophic link between primary producers and the rest of the marine food web. I used a suite of feeding experiments, bio-imaging techniques and ecotoxicological studies to explore the interactions and impacts of polystyrene microplastics on marine zooplankton. My results demonstrate that a range of filter-feeding zooplankton taxa, including copepods and bivalve and decapod larvae, have the capacity to ingest microplastics. Microplastics significantly reduced algal feeding in the copepods Centropages typicus and Calanus helgolandicus. With prolonged microplastic exposure C. helgolandicus produced smaller eggs with reduced hatching success, and had reduced survival owing to declining energetic reserves. Microplastics egested by copepods significantly altered the properties and sinking rates of faecal pellets, with potential repercussions for marine nutrient flux. This investigative work highlights that microplastics pose a significant risk to the health of animals at the base of the marine food web.
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Rodrigues, Mariana Oliveira. "Impacts of microplastics in freshwater systems." Master's thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/21469.
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Mestrado em Toxicologia e EcotoxicologiaPlastics, in particular microplastics (particles with dimensions < 5 mm), are a widespread and persistent pollutant constituting an emerging scientific and societal issue. Its characteristics allied to an inadequate management contributes to their accumulation in aquatic systems, reaching high densities. Moreover, they can also interact with environment affecting economy, human health and aesthetics. However, most of scientific studies have been focused in marine environment while scarce knowledge exists regarding freshwater systems, including in Portugal. Hence, this study aimed to contribute to fill this gap of information both in uniformization of methodologies of isolation of microplastics (MPs) in water samples as well as on the MPs’ characterization in a Portuguese freshwater system. Thus, the first part of this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of distinct separation methods including density separation methods (sucrose, olive oil and zinc chloride) as well as organic matter degradation methods (hydrogen peroxide and multienzymatic detergent). For that, artificial samples containing the eleven most common types of plastics were prepared, subjected to the different methods and then polymers were detected, quantified and identified using a stereoscope microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Among the several tested methods, the most cost-effective was the method of wet peroxide oxidation with addition of zinc chloride. Hence, this study highlights the importance of the use of zinc chloride both in the processing of sediment and water samples. In a following step, the abundance and distribution of MPs in the water and sediment of Antuã river were determined by applying the separation method identified as the most effective previously. The abundance of MPs in water varied from 5 – 8.3 mg m-3 or 58 – 193 items m-3 in March and from 5.8 – 51.7 mg m-3 or 71 – 1265 items m-3 in October. In sediments, the abundance of MPs varied from 13.5 – 52.7 mg kg-1 or 100 – 629 items kg-1 in March and from 2.6 – 71.4 mg kg-1 or 18 – 514 items kg-1 in October. It shows that this river is severely impacted by MPs, in orders similar to that found in marine/coastal environments. A spatial and temporal variation was observed dependent on seasonal conditions, flow velocity and anthropogenic pressure. Thus, this study emphasizes the importance of rivers as carriage systems of MPs, and highlight the potential impacts of MPs as emerging contaminants on freshwater systems.
Os plásticos, em particular os microplásticos (partículas com dimensões <5 mm), são poluentes ubíquos e persistentes que constituem uma preocupação científica e social emergente. As suas características, aliadas a uma gestão inadequada, contribuíram para a sua acumulação nos sistemas aquáticos, podendo atingir elevadas densidades. Estas partículas podem interagir com o ambiente, afetando a economia, a saúde humana e a estética. No entanto, a maioria dos estudos científicos tem-se focado no ambiente marinho, sendo o conhecimento sobre os sistemas de água doce escasso, incluindo em Portugal. Deste modo, este trabalho pretende contribuir para esta lacuna de informação, tanto ao nível da uniformização de metodologias de isolamento de microplásticos (MPs) em amostras de água como na caracterização de MPs num sistema de água doce português. Assim, numa primeira fase este estudo pretendeu avaliar a eficácia de diferentes métodos de separação, incluindo métodos de separação por densidade (açúcar, azeite e cloreto de zinco), bem como métodos de degradação de matéria orgânica (peróxido de hidrogénio e detergente multienzimático). Neste sentido, amostras artificiais contendo onze tipos de plásticos pertencentes aos polímeros mais comuns foram preparadas e submetidas aos diferentes métodos, procedendo-se posteriormente à quantificação e identificação dos polímeros usando um microscópio estereoscópico e um espectroscópio de infravermelhos com transformada de Fourier (FTIR). De entre os vários métodos testados, aquele que revelou o melhor custo-eficácia foi o método da oxidação com peróxido de hidrogénio e adição de cloreto de zinco. Este estudo enfatiza a importância do uso do cloreto de zinco tanto no processamento de amostras de sedimento como de água. Numa fase seguinte do estudo, determinou-se a abundância e distribuição de MPs na água e sedimento do rio Antuã, aplicando o método de separação identificado como o mais eficaz anteriormente. A abundância de MPs nas amostras de água variou entre 5 – 8.3 mg m-3 ou 58 – 193 items m-3 em Março e entre 5.8 – 51.7 mg m-3 ou 71 – 1265 items m-3 em Outubro. No sedimento, a abundância de MPs variou entre 13.5 – 52.7 mg kg-1 ou 100 – 629 items kg-1 em Março e entre 2.6 – 71.4 mg kg-1 ou 18 – 514 items kg-1 em Outubro. Estes resultados demonstram que este rio está severamente impactado por MPs, com valores semelhantes aos encontrados em sistemas marinhos/costeiros. Foi ainda observada uma variação espacial e temporal, dependente da estação do ano, do caudal do rio e da pressão antropogénica. Deste modo, este estudo vem enfatizar a importância dos rios como sistemas de transporte de MPs e realçar os potenciais impactos dos MPs como contaminantes emergentes nos ecossistemas aquáticos dulçaquícolas.
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Santana, Marina Ferreira Mourão. "Effects of microplastics contamination on marine biota." Universidade de São Paulo, 2015. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/21/21134/tde-20032016-174906/.
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Microplastic pollution (particles < 5mm) is one of the most widespread impacts from modern society. Here, microplastic impacts were investigated through experimental assessments considering different exposure scenarios using mussels and micro-PVC as models. These aimed to investigate mussels\' physiological signs of stress under acute and chronic exposures and microplastics transference, assimilation and retention along food chains. In acute exposures, PVC intake affected mussels\' physiology over time, also influenced by plastics additives and particle concentration. Interactions among exposure factors (time, presence of additives and concentration) were more relevant than their individual effect, indicating the singularity of each contamination scenario. Long-term contact did not affect mussels, indicating the influence of time to acclimation. Microplastics were not assimilated and retained along food chains, but only biotransferred from prey tissues to predators\' tract, showing the influence of prey contamination on the effectiveness of microplastics biotransference. To evaluate risks in nature, microplastic ingestion was investigated in mussels from the Santos Estuary. Santos Estuary contained microplastics in 75% of sampled mussels, an issue of environmental and human concern. This study illustrated that microplastics impacts on mussels vary with microplastics characteristics, exposure scenario and species vulnerability, highlighting the need for more toxicological and risk evaluation studies.Os microplásticos (< 5mm) são um dos impactos mais difundidos da sociedade moderna. Aqui, eles foram estudados em ensaios experimentais, considerando diferentes composições de exposição de mexilhões à micro-PVCs. O objetivo foi investigar: sinais fisiológicos de estresse sob exposições aguda e crônica; e transferência, assimilação e retenção de microplásticos em cadeias tróficas. Para avaliar seus potenciais riscos na natureza, a ingestão por mexilhões também foi investigada no Estuário de Santos. As exposições agudas afetaram a fisiologia dos mexilhões, sendo influenciadas pelo tempo e concentração de exposição, e pela presença de aditivos plásticos. Interações entre esses fatores (tempo, concentração e aditivos) foram mais relevantes do que eles individualmente, sugerindo a singularidade dos cenários de poluição. A exposição de longo prazo não afetou os mexilhões, indicando a influência do tempo na aclimatação ao microplástico. O PVC não foi assimilado e retido nas cadeias tróficas, mas biotransferido do tecido das presas para o trato dos predadores, mostrando a influência do estado da presa na efetividade da biotransferência dos microplásticos. Dentre os mexilhões coletados, 75% estavam contaminados, revelando uma importante questão socioambiental. Esse trabalho ilustrou a complexidade dos impactos dos microplásticos para a biota marinha, ressaltando a necessidade de mais estudos sobre seus riscos.
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Avio, Carlo Giacomo. "Ecotoxicological risk of microplastics for marine organisms." Doctoral thesis, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11566/243067.
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La presenza di Microplastiche (MP) negli oceani rappresenta una problematica emergente per l’ecosistema marino; è ormai stato dimostrato che le MP possono essere ingerire da diverse specie di organismi, ma non è stata ancora dimostrata la capacità di trasferimento trofico e di accumulo di queste microparticelle, e sono ancora molto carenti le informazioni sui effetti avversi indotti.
In questo lavoro di ricerca, il ruolo di alcuni polimeri plastici, come vettori di inquinanti chimici, è stato inizialmente valutato su campioni di macro-plastiche vergini, macro- e micro-plastiche spiaggiate. Tramite esperimenti di laboratorio, sono state invece studiate sia le cinetiche di adsorbimento del pirene e del cadmio in MP di polietilene (PE) e polistirene (PS), che la loro capacità di trasferire i composti adsorbiti ai mitili, Mytilus galloprovincialis. In questi organismi esposti sono stati analizzati diversi effetti a livello molecolare, biochimico e cellulare, incluse le risposte immunologiche, le alterazioni lisosomiali, la proliferazione perossisomiale, le difese antiossidanti, gli effetti neurotossici, genotossici oltre che il profilo di espressione genica.
E’ stato inoltre ottimizzato e applicato un nuovo protocollo per l'estrazione e caratterizzazione (FT-IR) delle MP su diverse specie di pesci e invertebrati del Mar Mediterraneo.
I livelli di IPA maggiori sono stati misurati nelle micro e macro-plastiche spiaggiate, mentre un efficiente assorbimento delle sostanze chimiche è stato confermato, sia per il PE che PS, con una modalità di adsorbimento tempo e dose-dipendente. Indagini istologiche hanno rivelato la presenza di MP nell’emolinfa, nelle branchie e nei tessuti digestivi dei mitili. Gli IPA adsorbiti sono stati rilasciati dalle MP e accumulati nei tessuti dei mitili che hanno mostrato alterazioni di diversi biomarker sia molecolari che cellulari. Il protocollo di estrazione sviluppato ha permesso di dimostrare la presenza di MP nello stomaco e, per la prima volta, nel fegato di cefali esposti. Studi sul campo hanno evidenziato la presenza di particelle nel 38% degli organismi selvatici analizzati, con una maggior frequenza di MP sotto forma di frammenti e linee, costituiti preferenzialmente da PE, PS e nylon.
In conclusione, questa tesi fornisce nuove informazioni sui rischi ecotossicologici delle MP per gli organismi marini oltre che un’importante linea di base sul livello di contaminazione da MP nel biota Mediterraneo.Microplastics (MPs) are a growing but still unexplored environmental concern for marine organisms. Although several species can ingest MPs, a clear evidence of their accumulation pathways, trophic transfer and adverse effects is still lacking. In this thesis, the potential role of MPs as vectors of chemical pollutants was initially evaluated in virgin macroplastics, beached macro- and microplastics; laboratory experiments further characterized adsorbing kinetics of pyrene and cadmium on polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) MPs, and their capability to transfer adsorbed pyrene to mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis. In these organisms, several molecular, biochemical and cellular effects were analyzed in term of immunological responses, lysosomal alterations, peroxisomal proliferation, antioxidant and neurotoxic effects, genotoxicity and gene expression profile. A new protocol for extraction and FT-IR characterization of MPs in marine organisms was optimized and applied to several species of Mediterranean fish and invertebrates. Load of PAHs was higher in weathered and micron-sized particles, and an efficient adsorption of chemicals was confirmed with a time- and dose-dependent trend for both PE and PS. Histological analyses revealed occurrence of ingested MPs in haemolymph, gills and digestive tissues of mussels. Adsorbed PAHs were desorbed from MPs and bioavailable for mussels that showed many altered several molecular and cellular biomarkers. The developed extraction protocol allowed to demonstrate the presence of MPs in the stomach and, for the first time, in liver of exposed Mugil cephalus. Field studies highlighted the occurrence of MPs in 38% of analyzed wild organisms, mostly represented by fragments and lines, while PE, PS and nylon were the dominant polymers. In conclusion, this thesis provides new insights on the ecotoxicological risks of MPs for marine organisms and an important baseline for assessing the level of MPs contamination in Mediterranean biota
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Wu, Pengfei. "Occurrence, determination and environmental fate of microplastics in aquatic system." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2020. https://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_oa/780.
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The current period of human history is considered to be the plastics age due to its versatile characteristics, especially the lightweight, durability and low production cost. Plastics can be manufactured to suit multifarious functions, for example, for personal care products, food/drink storage and medical purposes. Thus, the use of plastics is unavoidable now, finally contributing to the severe pollution worldwide. In 2018 alone, the global plastics production amount has exceeded 359 million tons, around 10% of which ultimately become waste persisting in the environment. When plastic wastes exposed to the sun's radiation, climate change and mechanic abrasion, degradation and fragmentation may occur. Once the size of the fragmentation products is less than 5 mm, they are commonly defined as microplastics (MPs) by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Currently, microplastics have been regarded as the most pervasive environmental pollution problems, not only because of their physical hazards but also due to their interactions with other pollutants in the environment. Pollution can be attributed by the release of additives from MPs, as well as the MPs with adsorbed toxic contaminants. Moreover, MPs additives together with adsorbed chemicals can be easily uptaken by animals, which may cause further propagated effects on the ambient ecosystem. Through the bioaccumulation and biomagnification effect, MPs can even be accumulated in the organisms from different trophic levels and cause serious impacts on aquatic ecology and human health. Despite growing number of evidences that have confirmed the presence and consequential effects of microplastics, researches on microplastic pollution are still lacking. Investigations on occurrence, determination and environmental fate of MPs in aquatic systems are clearly needed. Therefore, the major objective of this study is to elucidate the distribution of MPs in natural environment, to develop novel determination methods to characterize the micro-(nano-)plastics (MNPs), and to study the interactions of MPs with other contaminants in different conditions, as well as their consequential fate in different matrices (e.g. freshwater, cold-blooded intestine, and warm-blooded intestine). The spatial-temporal distribution of the MPs along the Maozhou River was investigated for both the surface water and sediments from 17 sites. Results showed that MPs were widely and unevenly distributed along the river. The MP abundances in dry season ranged from 4.0 ± 1.0 to 25.5 ± 3.5 items·L-1 in water and 35 ± 15 to 560 ± 70 item·kg-1 in sediments, which were relatively higher than those observed in wet season (water: 3.5 ± 1.0 to 10.5 ± 2.5 items·L-1; sediments: 25 ± 5 to 360 ± 90 item·kg-1; p value < 0.05). The dominant types of MPs were identified as: polyethylene (PE, water: 45.0%, sediments: 42.0%), polypropylene (PP, water and sediments: 12.5%), polystyrene (PS, water: 34.5%; sediments 14.5%) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC, water: 2.0%; sediments: 15%). Moreover, metals such as Al, Si, Ca were discovered on the rough surface of the MPs, indicating the interactions between the MPs and the aquatic environment. After obtaining the occurrence of the MPs in the aquatic systems, we proposed an accurate method for MNPs identification and quantification with the employment of the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). By optimizing the conditions (e.g. the laser energy, matrix, analyte, cationization agent and their ratio), the peaks of PS and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were successfully identified. A quantitative correlation was built between the normalized signal intensity and ln[polymer concentration], with a correlation coefficient above 0.96 for low-molecular-weight (LM-) polymers and 0.98 for high-molecular-weight (HM-) polymers. Furthermore, two types of environmental MPs samples were prepared, including the particles of an aviation cup as the fresh plastics and the aged MPs extracted from river sediment. By using MALDI-TOF MS, the PS-related micro-(nano-)plastics (in both aviation cup and sediment) consisted of C8H8 and C16H16O oligomers, while the PET-related MNPs (only found in sediment) were identified with compositions of C10H8O4 and C12H12O4. The contents of PS and PET MNPs in sediment were quantified as 8.56 ± 0.04 and 28.71 ± 0.20 mg·kg-1, respectively. Also, the interaction between MPs and bisphenols was investigated. PVC was selected as the representative target because it is comparatively easy to decompose into MPs with the release of additives, especially the bisphenols. The released bisphenols may then be readsorbed by the PVC MPs and cause consequential pollution to the ecosystem. To elaborate on the interactions mechanism, a systematic study was carried out to determine the adsorption mechanisms of five bisphenol analogues (BPA, BPS, BPF, BPB, and BPAF) on PVC MPs. The equilibrium adsorption numbers of the bisphenols on PVC MPs are 0.19 ± 0.02 mg/g (BPA), 0.15 ± 0.01 mg/g (BPS), 0.16 ± 0.01 mg/g (BPF), 0.22 ± 0.01 (BPB), 0.24 ± 0.02 mg/g (BPAF), respectively. Intraparticle diffusion modeling (kinetics) divided the adsorption process into three stages: external mass transport, intraparticle diffusion and dynamic equilibrium. The isotherm results showed a better fit of the adsorption to the Freundlich model. Furthermore, the adsorption mechanisms of the five bisphenol analogues were explored intensively, with respect to hydrophobic interaction, electrostatic force and noncovalent bonds. Besides the adsorption process, the transfer and release behaviors of contaminated MPs are of critically importance in the exploration of their role as culprits and/or vectors for the aforementioned toxicity. Therefore, experiments were performed to examine desorption behaviors and cytotoxicity performance of contaminated MPs in aquatic surroundings and intestinal environment after ingestion by organisms (cold-/warm-blooded). The kinetic study showed that the rate of desorption for bisphenols could be enhanced threefold under simulated warm intestinal conditions. The Freundlich isotherms indicated multiple-layer desorption of the bisphenols on the heterogeneous surfaces of PVC MPs. Hysteresis was detected in the adsorption/desorption of bisphenols in a water environment, but no adsorption/desorption hysteresis was observed in the simulated intestinal conditions of warm-blooded organisms. Due to the enhanced bioaccessibility, the desorption results implied that the environmental risk of contaminated PVC MPs might be significantly increased after ingestion at a high bisphenols dosage. Although with different IC50, the five bisphenols released under the intestinal conditions of warm-blooded organisms can cause higher proliferation reduction in fish and human cell lines than the bisphenols released in water. In summary, this study elucidated the spatial-temporal distribution behaviors of MPs, developed effective determination methods for MNPs revealed the interactions mechanisms of MPs with other contaminants, and explored their consequential fate in different environments. The obtained results are helpful of better understanding on the land-based input of MPs from the intensively affected inland waters, realizing the role of microplastics as both source and carrier for emerging organic pollutants, and providing a novel alternative for MPs determination in future studies.
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Lundström, Johanna. "Spreading of microplastics from artificial turf via stormwater." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för kemi, bioteknologi och hälsa (CBH), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-277122.
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På senare tid har mikroplaster i hav och sjöar uppmärksammats som ett potentiellt stortmiljöproblem. Idag finns mikroplaster spridda över hela världens vatten från polerna till ekvatorn.År 2016 uppmärksammades konstgräsplaner som den nästa största källan till spridning avmikroplaster till sjöar och vattendrag i Sverige [1]. Fotboll är Sveriges nationalsport och är densporten som står för flest aktivitetstimmar i Sverige. Konstgräs har gjort det möjligt för fler barnoch ungdomar att få fler speltimmar och idag spelar 90 % av alla fotbollsspelare på konstgräs [2].De olika spridningsvägarna för mikroplaster från konstgräsplaner undersöktes med fokus påspridningsvägen via dagvatten. Det finns fler olika reningsmetoder för dagvatten innehållandemikroplaster, en av dessa är granulatfällan, en filterpåse som placeras i en dagvattenbrunn för attfånga upp granulat och konstgräsfibrer som sprids från konstgräsplanen till dagvattenbrunnen.Syftet med denna studie var att optimera reningsmetoden granulatfälla utifrån möjligavattenflöden och dess effektivitet i att fånga upp mikroplaster. Detta undersöktes genomframtagandet av en vattenflödesmodell vid konstgräsplaner med variationer i konstruktion ochgenom fältstudier av granulatfällans effektivitet vid två konstgräsplaner i Storstockholm.Det regn som undersöktes i vattenflödesmodellen var extremregn för ett 10 års regn under 10minuter. Detta för att hitta det maximala flöde granulatfällorna kommer behöva klara av. Vilkavattenflöden som nådde dagvattenbrunnarna var beroende på antalet dagvattenbrunnarplacerade runt konstgräsplanen, i vilket område i Sverige som konstgräsplanen var placerad, detvill säga hur mycket regn som kom, och konstgräsplanens infiltrationsförmåga.Vattenflödesmodellen fungerar som en mall för möjliga vattenflöden vid en specifik plats i Sverigeoch en viss konstruktion av konstgräsplan.De konstgräsplaner som var med i fältstudierna var Skytteholms IP i Solna och Spånga IP iStockholm. Vid varje konstgräsplan placerades 6 granulatfällor med två filterpåsar på varje fälla,den inre med större maskor och den yttre med mindre maskor. Kombinationerna var 200 μm med100 μm, 200 μm med 50 μm och 100 μm med 50 μm. Totalt fångades 10,3 kg mikroplast vidSkytteholms IP och 1,5 kg vid Spånga IP under de 49 dygn granulatfällorna var utplacerade. Avden totala mängden mikroplast viktmässigt i varje granulatfälla fanns minst 99 % i den inrefilterpåsen och maximalt 1 % i den yttre filterpåsen, det vill säga i storleksfraktionen mellan denyttre och den inre filterpåsen.Slutsatserna från denna studie är att vattenflödet till dagvattenbrunnarna placerade runtkonstgräsplaner kan variera mycket på grund av hur konstgräsplanen är konstruerad. Det berorframförallt på konstgräsplanens infiltrationsförmåga och antal dagvattenbrunnar runtkonstgräsplanen. Utifrån de teoretiska vattenflödena och fältstudierna rekommenderas att enfilterpåse med maskstorlek 200 μm används i granulatfällan. Detta utifrån att den inre filterpåsenfångade minst 99 % av de mikroplaster som nådde granulatfällorna, som var större än 50 μm, ochökad risk för igensättning och tillväxt av biofilm på filterpåsarna med mindre maskor. Vidarestudier bör genomföras på granulatfällans vattenflöde över tid, mikroplaster mindre än 50 μm,IIandra spridningsvägar för mikroplaster från konstgräsplaner, förbättrade konstruktioner avkonstgräsplaner och förbättrat underhållningsarbete för att minska spridningen av mikroplasterfrån konstgräsplaner.In the recent years microplastics in the marine environment has been recognized as a potentiallyimportant environmental issue. Today there are microplastics spread in the waterbodies all overthe world, from the equator to the poles in south and north. In 2016 artificial turf was labeled thesecond largest source of microplastics to the marine environment in Sweden [1]. Football is thenational sport of Sweden and accounts for the majority of the activity hours among the youth inSweden. The artificial turf has made it possible for more children to play football and for them toget more hours on the field. Today about 90 % of the football players play on artificial turf [2].The microplastics pathways to the nature and the marine environment were studied andtreatment methods were developed. One of these methods is the so called granule trap, a filterbag which is placed in a stormwater drainage well to catch the rubber granulates and the artificialturf fibers which can be spread from the artificial field to the drainage system. The aim of thisstudy was to optimize the granule trap for possible waterflows to the stormwater drainage welland its efficiency to catch microplastics. This was researched through field studies of the efficiencyof the granule trap at two artificial turfs in Stockholm and the development of a waterflow modelof an artificial turf with varying construction.The rainfall which was used in the waterflow model was the 10-year storm with a duration of 10minutes. This to find the maximum waterflow the granuletraps must manage. The waterflows tothe stormwater drainage well were dependent on the number of wells placed around the artificialturf, in which area of Sweden the football field was placed, in other words the amount of rain thatfell, and the infiltration capacity of the artificial turf. The waterflow model works as a templatefor possible waterflows at an artificial turf with a certain construction and at a certain location inSweden.The artificial turfs which were examined in the field studies were Skytteholms IP in Solna andSpånga IP in Stockholm. At each football field 6 granuletraps were placed, each loaded with twofilter bags, the inner with larger sized mesh and the outer with smaller sized mesh. The mesh sizecombinations were 200 μm with 100 μm, 200 μm with 50 μm and 100 μm with 50 μm. atSkytteholms IP a total amount of 10.3 kg microplastics were caught and at Spånga IP a total of 1.5kg microplastics were caught during the 49 days the granuletraps were placed at the footballfields. Out of the total amount of microplastics in each granuletrap at least 99 % by mass was inthe inner filter bag and maximum 1 % by mass was in the outer filter bag, in the size fractionbetween the outer and the inner filter bag..In conclusion this study shows that the waterflow to the stormwater drainage wells placed aroundthe artificial turfs vary a lot depending on the construction of the artificial turf. Foremost itdepends on the infiltration capacity of the artificial turf and the number of stormwater drainagewells around the field. With regards to the waterflows from the waterflow model and the resultsfrom the field studies the recommended mesh size for the filter bags is 200 μm. This since at least99 % by mass of the microplastics, which were larger than 50 μm, that reached the granule trapsIVwere trapped in the inner filter bag and the elevated risk of clogging and biofilm growth on thefilter bags with smaller mesh size. Further studies should be conducted on the waterflow throughthe granuletraps over time, microplastics smaller than 50 μm, other pathways for themicroplastics away from the artificial turf, improved constructions of artificial turfs and improvedmaintenance on the artificial turfs to reduce the risk of spreading of microplastics from artificialturfs.
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Bottone, Anna. "Analyzing microplastics in soils : Evaluating canola oil extractions." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-165179.
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Small fragments of artificial polymers (microplastics, MPs) has been reported for multiple environmental matrices from our planet. The omnipresent existence of these microplastics even in remote polar areas have raised concern about their potential environmental impacts and created a need for effective and standardized analytical methods targeting their detection in environmental samples. So far, no methods have been developed for detecting microplastics in organic-rich soils. In this master thesis, I evaluate two analytical methods (both based on canola oil extractions) targeting microplastics in two contrasting soil matrices; one mineral rich (sandy mineral soil from a Podzol) and the other by organic matter (sample from a Histosol). I hypothesize that the detection of microplastic has a bias that depends on specific plastic particle properties (size, polymer type and morphology) as well as on the organic content of soil samples. My results show that the recovery of added plastics is strongly dependent on particle size and diminishes with decreasing microplastics length. This result was repeated by both extraction approaches. Polymer shape and soil characteristics (organic matter content) affect MPs recovery if oil extractions are conducted without pre-treatment (oxidation) step. Here, fibers proved most difficult to detect and low recoveries suggested that the method was not applicable to organic rich samples. The addition of a pretreatment step including oxidation with sodium hypochlorite improved recoveries for organic rich samples and removed the effect of soil type and polymer shape. Hence, the use of a pretreatment is essential to extract MPs from organic-rich soils, but it also decreases the overall recovery for all type of studied polymers and mostly fibers. My study suggests that there is a substantial bias when detecting MPs in soils that is causing a general underestimation, especially for small, fibrous particles in organic rich soils.
Books on the topic "Microplastics"
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Kim, Hyunjung. Microplastics. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003200628.
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Muthuvairavasamy, Ramkumar. Microplastics. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10729-0.
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Mishra, Ajay Kumar, Pankaj Raizada, Elsayed T. Helmy, Santhiagu Arockiasamy, and Rangabhashiyam Selvasembian, eds. Microplastics. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-6461-7.
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Wagner, Martin, and Scott Lambert, eds. Freshwater Microplastics. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61615-5.
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Sivasankar, V., and T. G. Sunitha, eds. Microplastics and Pollutants. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54565-8.
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Ram Chaudhary, Ganga, Moondeep Chauhan, and Bunty Sharma. Microplastics in Environment. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003468141.
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He, Defu, and Yongming Luo, eds. Microplastics in Terrestrial Environments. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56271-7.
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Sillanpää, Mika, Ali Khadir, and Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu, eds. Microplastics Pollution in Aquatic Media. Singapore: Springer Singapore, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8440-1.
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Wagner, Martin. Freshwater Microplastics: Emerging Environmental Contaminants? Cham: Springer Nature, 2018.
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Kumar, Ajay, and Vijai Singh, eds. Microplastics Pollution and its Remediation. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-4068-0.
Full textBook chapters on the topic "Microplastics"
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Marathe, Nachiket P., and Michael S. Bank. "The Microplastic-Antibiotic Resistance Connection." In Microplastic in the Environment: Pattern and Process, 311–22. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78627-4_9.
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AbstractMicroplastic pollution is a big and rapidly growing environmental problem. Although the direct effects of microplastic pollution are increasingly studied, the indirect effects are hardly investigated, especially in the context of spreading of disease and antibiotic resistance genes, posing an apparent hazard for human health. Microplastic particles provide a hydrophobic surface that provides substrate for attachment of microorganisms and readily supports formation of microbial biofilms. Pathogenic bacteria such as fish pathogens Aeromonas spp., Vibrio spp., and opportunistic human pathogens like Escherichia coli are present in these biofilms. Moreover, some of these pathogens are shown to be multidrug resistant. The presence of microplastics is known to enhance horizontal gene transfer in bacteria and thus, may contribute to dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Microplastics can also adsorb toxic chemicals like antibiotics and heavy metals, which are known to select for antibiotic resistance. Microplastics may, thus, serve as vectors for transport of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in the aquatic environment. In this book chapter, we provide background information on microplastic biofouling (“plastisphere concept”), discuss the relationship between microplastic and antibiotic resistance, and identify knowledge gaps and directions for future research.
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Kallenbach, Emilie M. F., Elisabeth S. Rødland, Nina T. Buenaventura, and Rachel Hurley. "Microplastics in Terrestrial and Freshwater Environments." In Microplastic in the Environment: Pattern and Process, 87–130. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78627-4_4.
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AbstractIn recent years, the focus of microplastic research has begun to observe a shift from the marine towards terrestrial and freshwater environments. This is in response to a greater awareness of the predominance of land-based sources in marine microplastic contamination. In this regard, terrestrial and freshwater environments are often perceived as conduits for microplastic particles to the oceans, but this overlooks substantial and important complexities associated with these systems, as well as the need to protect these ecosystems in their own right. This chapter focuses on several critical sources and pathways deemed to be highly important for the release of microplastics to the environment. These include road-associated microplastic particles (RAMP) and emissions related to agriculture that are, thus far, under-researched. Transfers and accumulations of particles within terrestrial and freshwater systems are also reviewed, including the state of knowledge on the occurrence of microplastics in different environmental compartments (air, water, sediments, biota). Methodological constraints are addressed, with particular focus on the need for greater harmonisation along all stages of sampling, analysis, and data handling. Finally, the chapter discusses the ultimate fate of particles released to terrestrial and freshwater environments and highlights critical research gaps that should be addressed to evolve our understanding of microplastic contamination in complex and dynamic environmental systems.
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Guerrini, Federica. "Data-Informed Models for the Coupled Dispersal of Microplastics and Related Pollutants Applied to the Mediterranean Sea." In Special Topics in Information Technology, 3–14. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15374-7_1.
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AbstractMicroplastic pollution is a ubiquitous environmental threat, in particular to the oceans. In the marine environment, microplastics are not just passively transported by sea currents, but often get contaminated with organic pollutants during the journey. The uptake of chemicals onto microplastics can worsen the adverse effects of microplastics to marine organisms; however, investigation on this urgent phenomenon is hampered by the impossibility of monitoring and tracking such small plastic fragments during their motion at sea. This work aims at addressing the need for an effective modelling of the advection–diffusion processes jointly involving microplastics and the pollutants they carry to further our understanding of their spatiotemporal patterns and ecological impacts, focusing on the Mediterranean Sea. Here we present the conceptual design, methodological settings, and modelling results of a novel, data-informed 2D Lagrangian–Eulerian modelling framework that simultaneously describes (i) the Lagrangian dispersal of microplastic on the sea surface, (ii) the Eulerian advection–diffusion of selected organic contaminants, and (iii) the gradient-driven chemical exchanges between microplastic particles and chemical pollutants in the marine environment in a simple, yet comprehensive way. Crucial to the realism of our model is exploiting the wide variety and abundance of data linked with drivers of Mediterranean marine pollution by microplastics and chemicals, ranging from national censuses to satellite data of surface water runoff and GPS ship tracking, other than the use of oceanographic reanalyses to inform microplastics’ motion at sea. The results of our method applied to a multi-year simulation contribute to a first basin-wide assessment of the role of microplastics as a vehicle of other pollutants of concern in the marine environment. The framework proposed here is intended as a flexible tool to help advance knowledge towards a comprehensive description of the multifaceted threat of marine plastic pollution and an informed support to targeted mitigation policies.
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Ilyas, Sadia, Hyunjung Kim, and Gukhwa Hwang. "Impacts of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Biota." In Microplastics, 111–39. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003200628-5.
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Ilyas, Sadia, and Hyunjung Kim. "Identification of Microplastics and Nanoplastics and Associated Analytical Challenges." In Microplastics, 177–200. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003200628-8.
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Kim, Hyunjung, Sadia Ilyas, Gilsang Hong, Byoung-cheun Lee, and Geunbae Kim. "Collection of Microplastics and Nanoplastics from Various Environments and Associated Challenges." In Microplastics, 141–56. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003200628-6.
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Kim, Hyunjung, Sadia Ilyas, and Humma Akram Cheema. "Interaction of Inorganic and Organic Pollutants with Microplastics." In Microplastics, 87–109. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003200628-4.
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Kim, Hyunjung, Sadia Ilyas, Allan Gomez-Flores, and Humma Akram Cheema. "Separation of Microplastics and Nanoplastics from Various Environments and Associated Challenges." In Microplastics, 157–76. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003200628-7.
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Kim, Hyunjung, Sadia Ilyas, and Gukhwa Hwang. "Degradation Pathways of Various Plastics." In Microplastics, 75–86. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003200628-3.
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Kim, Hyunjung, and Sadia Ilyas. "Laws, Regulations or Policy Tools to Govern Macroplastics, Mesoplastics, Microplastics and Nanoplastics." In Microplastics, 31–74. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003200628-2.
Full textConference papers on the topic "Microplastics"
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Osoro, Brian O., Robinson Ndegwa, Wilson Ombati, and Jared O. Gwaro. "Raman Spectroscopy, Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) And Principal Component Analysis (PCA) Combined For Identification Of Polystyrene Microplastics In Plastic Bottled Drinking Water." In Frontiers in Optics, JTu5A.56. Washington, D.C.: Optica Publishing Group, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1364/fio.2024.jtu5a.56.
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Microplastics contamination is a growing concern. Here, Raman Spectroscopy, LIBS, and PCA were used to detect and identify polystyrene microplastics in bottled drinking water. Spectral findings were compared with standard polystyrene samples, enhancing microplastic identification.
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Chen, Zhengke, Bowen He, Ting Xia, Qikun Yang, Dongyu Cui, Wei Huang, Zhuoqing Yang, and Faheng Zang. "A Hybrid MIR-spectrum Processing Algorithm for Microplastics Analysis." In 2024 7th International Conference on Electronics Technology (ICET), 1120–25. IEEE, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/icet61945.2024.10672915.
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Upadhyay, Kshitij, and Samir Bajpai. "Transport of Microplastics from Municipal Solid Waste Landfills to Aquatic system: An Overview." In International Web Conference in Civil Engineering for a Sustainable Planet. AIJR Publisher, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.21467/proceedings.112.27.
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Microplastics possess a significant threat to water resources as well as aquatic life and present a challenge in overall water resource management. Among a wide variety of entry routes available for microplastics from land to water bodies, municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are suspected to be one of the important land-based sources (entry point) of microplastics affecting water quality. Few studies reported the presence of microplastic in the leachate obtained from municipal solid waste landfills corroborating that MSW landfills not only act as a sink of microplastic pollution but also act as a source. Microplastics from these leachates move to the soil system thereby affecting its quality and further migrate to aquatic systems. This movement of microplastic from leachate to aquatic system not only deteriorate the water quality but also highlights the importance of land-based sources of microplastic. In this review, we focused on the role of landfills as a pathway for microplastics to water bodies. The main aims of this review the abundance and characteristics of microplastics in landfills and discuss the role of landfill age. Polyethylene in fragmented and fibrous form remains the predominant type and shape of microplastic in leachates. The shape, size, and abundance of microplastics in leachates vary with landfill age. Landfills also provide a favorable environment for microplastic degradation thereby turning macroplastics into tiny plastic pieces. The major type of degradation is oxidative degradation. Our review confirms that MSW landfills are indeed a source of microplastic and contribute to microplastic pollution in soil and aquatic systems.
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Channarong, Witthaya, Nuttapong Taranut, and Thon Thamrongnawasawat. "Microplastics Baseline Study in Gulf of Thailand: First Time in Thailand." In International Petroleum Technology Conference. IPTC, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.2523/iptc-22899-ea.
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Abstract The Microplastics Baseline Study was initiated with a collaboration between PTTEP and Kasetsart University. The objective of this project is to measure microplastics level in the GoT through the use of PTTEP strength in location advantage cover PTTEP offshore facilities, Koh Losin, Koh Tao, and a coastal area in Chumphon. The baseline data was developed to support the government agencies scheme in fighting with Microplastics and identification of opportunities for further improvement. The microplastic sampling was conducted 3 times at each location and twice between 2020 – 2021 through the use of Manta net (the global standard tool) by the well trained PTTEP operators onsite. All collected Microplastic samples were sent to analyze microplastic components through the use of the cutting-edge technology such as Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The result of Microplastics Baseline Study in the GoT is used as part of the Microplastics baseline data of Thailand. The study found that the average numbers of microplastics particles in water from our 3 offshore assets are between 0.33- 1.26 pieces of mini-microplastics/m3 of water or 82,137-314,009 pieces/km2, close to the level found in the Eastern North Pacific, compared to other studies from oversea, this is more than the study from the northwest Atlantic (12,000-20,000 particles/km2) but more akin to the study of the northeast pacific (90,000-278,000 particles/km2) and less than that of Pacific garbage patch (1,345,000 particles/km2). The study also showed that the portion of offshore microplastics from fibers usually found in fishery tools like nets and fishing lines is high when compared to nearshore microplastics. (48% Fishing Net/ Line). PTTEP aims to foster collaboration among academics and private sectors in safeguarding the oceans with the ultimate goal of achieving concrete marine resource conservations. The study marked Thailand's first attempt in conducting a baseline study of microplastics in the GoT and the world's first attempt to use a petroleum platform as a station to collect microplastic data.
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Ariyawansha, R. B. V. K., and P. I. A. Gomes. "Microplastic Content in Non-Point Source And Point Sources of Colombo And Suburbs – Experimental Study on the Impact of Seasonal Variation." In SLIIT 2nd International Conference on Engineering and Technology. SLIIT, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.54389/jbln4596.
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Microplastics, which can enter aquatic environments through various sources, are small plastic pieces that are less than 5 mm in length. There are two types: primary and secondary microplastics. Sri Lanka has limited studies on microplastics in inland water bodies, so this research aims to quantify the levels of microplastic pollution in Colombo's surface waters in a spatiotemporal manner. Samples were taken from Beira Lake, Dutch canal network, Talangama canal, in wet and dry seasons. Microplastic concentrations were determined using NOAA guidelines and an optical microscope. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 21, including One-way Anova and Pearson correlations to identify significant differences and correlations. The study found that Dutch Canal had the highest average microplastic concentration of 12.7 mg/L during the wet season, and the lowest of 4.2 mg/L during the dry season. Both Dutch Canal and Talangama canal showed significantly higher microplastic concentrations during the wet season than the dry season, while the opposite was found in Beira Lake. The statistical analysis showed significant differences between microplastic concentrations in wet and dry seasons in all three water bodies. The microplastic levels in Beira Lake were higher on the surface water during the dry season (4.32 mg/L) and wet season (13.77 mg/L) compared to point sources (4.05 mg/L and 11.68 mg/L, respectively). Furthermore, Dutch canal's point sources showed higher during the dry season (8.47 mg/L) than the wet season (11.51 mg/L) and concentration of microplastics on the surface water was higher during the wet season (5.73 mg/L) than the dry season (7.16 mg/L). Talangama canal had similar patterns to Beira Lake. The study found microplastic contamination in urban and semi-urban surface waters at levels comparable to some industrialized countries, highlighting a concerning issue. KEYWORDS: Microplastic pollution, Seasonal impact, Sri Lanka, Urban, Colombo
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Khatmullina, Liliya, Liliya Khatmullina, Igor Isachenko, Igor Isachenko, Elena Esiukova, Elena Esiukova, Irina Chibarenko, and Irina Chibarenko. "EXPERIMENTING ON SETTLING VELOCITIES OF NEGATIVELY BUOYANT MICROPLASTICS." In Managing risks to coastal regions and communities in a changing world. Academus Publishing, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.31519/conferencearticle_5b1b93d91676c9.18062353.
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Presence of small plastic particles (< 5 mm), defined as microplastics, in the ocean and, especially, in coastal areas became evident in the last decade. From physical point of view, this fact indicates emergence of a new type of particles in the ocean. In contrast to the abundance of studies concerning sources, actual distribution and ecological effects of those particles, there are almost no detailed descriptions of physical mechanisms determining their distribution and behavior in the water column. Settling velocities of microplastics were measured in a series of experiments conducted in a 1-meter high glass tank filled with distilled water, in accordance with the typical methodology used in sedimentology. At first approximation, we supposed that the semi-empirical formulations developed for the natural sediments would be applicable to the microplastics. Results of preliminary experiments on microplastics of simple shapes justified this hypothesis. The majority of the implemented equations of settling velocity fitted well with the experimental data. Next step would be to test these formulations on the marine microplastic particles with greater variability in shapes. The research is supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project number 15-17-10020.
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Khatmullina, Liliya, Liliya Khatmullina, Igor Isachenko, Igor Isachenko, Elena Esiukova, Elena Esiukova, Irina Chibarenko, and Irina Chibarenko. "EXPERIMENTING ON SETTLING VELOCITIES OF NEGATIVELY BUOYANT MICROPLASTICS." In Managing risks to coastal regions and communities in a changing world. Academus Publishing, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.21610/conferencearticle_58b4315c8f7df.
Full textAbstract:
Presence of small plastic particles (< 5 mm), defined as microplastics, in the ocean and, especially, in coastal areas became evident in the last decade. From physical point of view, this fact indicates emergence of a new type of particles in the ocean. In contrast to the abundance of studies concerning sources, actual distribution and ecological effects of those particles, there are almost no detailed descriptions of physical mechanisms determining their distribution and behavior in the water column. Settling velocities of microplastics were measured in a series of experiments conducted in a 1-meter high glass tank filled with distilled water, in accordance with the typical methodology used in sedimentology. At first approximation, we supposed that the semi-empirical formulations developed for the natural sediments would be applicable to the microplastics. Results of preliminary experiments on microplastics of simple shapes justified this hypothesis. The majority of the implemented equations of settling velocity fitted well with the experimental data. Next step would be to test these formulations on the marine microplastic particles with greater variability in shapes. The research is supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project number 15-17-10020.
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Prosenc, Franja, Nigel Van de Velde, Ivan Jerman, and Janez Langus. "Automated Quantification of Microplastics – Challenges and Opportunities." In Socratic Lectures 7. University of Lubljana Press, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.55295/psl.2022.d12.
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Plastics are an important material with widespread applications. However, their widespread use and poor end-of-life management have led to their extensive environmental pollution. They can be found in oceans, terrestrial ecosystems, and even remote corners of the Earth. Current methods for microplastic quantification and identification require big investments and highly trained personnel to operate the analytical equipment. In this paper, we propose an algorithm-based method for the quantification of microplastics in soil and organic fertilisers. The method is based on image analysis of a thinly spread sample that was heated until microplastics has visually melted. The algorithm-based method was validated with Focal plane array detector-based micro-Fourier-transform infrared imaging (FPA-μFTIR), frequently used in microplastic characterisation. Herein, we present the pre-liminary results of an ongoing study. In a compost sample, five particles were detected with FPA-μFTIR, whereas the algorithm detected eight. The algorithm has difficulties recognising elongated or oddly shaped particles. These were identified as several particles which led to overestimating the number of microplastic particles in the investigated sample. We will continue with further develop-ment of the computer algorithm by using a training set of images which will be quantified using different methods (visual detection by a human operator, FPA-μFTIR). This growing training set will enable us to incorporate machine learning algorithms (neural networks) in the development of a more reliable particle detection algorithm. We expect that environmental monitoring of microplas-tics will be required under future legislation, therefore the development of cheap, user-friendly so-lutions is crucial. Keywords: Machine learning; Algorithm; Infrared spectroscopy; Soil contamination; Organic ferti-lisers; Compost
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Yuan, Kaining, and Jonathan Sahagun. "An Internet-of-Things (IoT) Sustainable Water Filtering and Monitoring System using Big Data Analysis and Clean Energy." In 5th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. Academy & Industry Research Collaboration Center, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.5121/csit.2024.140426.
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Microplastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems is a growing environmental concern. This paper introduces MyRiiver, a solar-powered microplastic filtration system, designed to overcome limitations in current methods. The background underscores the urgency of addressing microplastic pollution, emphasizing the need for an efficient, adaptable, and economical solution. MyRiiver employs a sophisticated multi-layered filtration system without requiring pre-treatment, offering advantages over existing methodologies. Challenges identified in previous approaches, such as electrode wear and biofilter maintenance, are addressed through the simplicity of MyRiiver's design. Experimental trials showcase its adaptability and superior efficiency in filtering microplastics as small as 1 µm. Results demonstrate a significant removal rate, positioning MyRiiver as a practical, scalable, and eco-friendly solution. The study concludes by asserting MyRiiver's potential as a transformative tool for combating the escalating global issue of microplastic contamination in freshwater environments.
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Zhang, Yi, Abu Naser Md Ahsanul Haque, Shervin Ranjbar, David Tester, and Maryam Naebe. "A Standard Terminology for the Description of Fibrous Microplastics from Textiles." In 22th AUTEX World Textile Conference. Switzerland: Trans Tech Publications Ltd, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/p-tq6aws.
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Microplastics, fragments of plastics from regular use, are causing severe environmental hazards and health dangers. They could be ingested by marine animals and further enter the human food chain. Research shows that the majority of the microplastics (35%) released in the environment are from textiles. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in the studies of microplastics released from textiles to control the pollution from their origin. To understand the microplastics released from textiles, the properties of microplastics are important. However, the definition of microplastics is still confusing as most of the studies consider microplastics to have a size of < 5 mm, as defined by Arthur (2009). But microplastics from textiles are mainly in the form of fibre, which is shape dependent. In textiles, microfibre has its definition with diameters measuring < 10 µm. The difference between the two definitions produces confusion and makes it hard to compare results within the literature. Although some researchers proposed terms, such as ‘fibrous microplastics’, ‘fibre fragments’ or ‘fibre shedding’, there is no international consent on the fibre-shaped microplastics till now. This paper endeavours to unite the current terms used for microplastics or microfibre from textile inspection and provide a new definition of fibre-shaped microplastics to avoid further confusion.
Reports on the topic "Microplastics"
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Pitt, Jordan A., Neelakanteswar Aluru, and Hahn Hahn. Supplemental materials for book chapter: Microplastics in Marine Food Webs. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, December 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1575/1912/29556.
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The identification of microplastics (MPs; 1 µm - 5 mm) and the inferred presence of nanoplastics (NPs; <1 µm) in a wide variety of marine animals, including many seafood species, has raised important questions about the presence, movement, and impacts of these particles in marine food webs. Understanding microplastic dynamics in marine food webs requires elucidation of the processes involved, including bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and biomagnification. However, in the context of microplastics and nanoplastics these concepts are often misunderstood. In this chapter, we provide a critical review of the literature on the behavior of plastic particles in marine food webs. We find clear evidence of trophic transfer, equivocal evidence for bioaccumulation, and no evidence for biomagnification. We also identify a number of knowledge gaps that limit our ability to draw firm conclusions at this time. These supplemental documents are in support of an invited chapter to be published in this book: S.E. Shumway and J.E. Ward (Eds.) Plastics in the Sea: Occurrence and Impacts (Elsevier 2023).
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Wilkins, Justin, Andrew McQueen, Joshua LeMonte, and Burton Suedel. Initial survey of microplastics in bottom sediments from United States waterways. Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.), September 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.21079/11681/42021.
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Given the reported extent of microplastics in the aquatic environment, environmentally relevant exposure information for sediments dredged by the US Army Corps of Engineers will lend context to the risks posed by this contaminant during dredging. We measured the occurrence, abundance, and polymer composition of microplastics in sediments collected from nine dredged waterways and two non-dredged reference areas. The number of particles in sediment samples ranged from 162 to 6110 particles/kg dry wt., with a mean of 1636 particles/kg dry wt. Fragments were the most prevalent shape observed among the 11 study sites (100% frequency of occurrence), followed by fibers (81%), spheres (75%), foams (38%) and films (34%). Based on analyses of chemical composition of the particles using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, polyethylene:propylene was the most common polymer type observed. Consistent with results presented by other investigators microplastic concentrations and polymer types in bottom sediments in this study were also aligned with the most widely used plastics worldwide.
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Maxwell Helmberger, Maxwell Helmberger. Do deepwater corals eat microplastics? Experiment, April 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.18258/26259.
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Kadac-Czapska, Kornelia, and Małgorzata Grembecka. The mysterious danger of microplastics. Edited by Reece Hooker. Monash University, February 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.54377/e7c8-7412.
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sara moaddeli, sara moaddeli. Metabolizing Microplastics for Human Health. Experiment, September 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.18258/30056.
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Du, Xinming, Shan Zhang, and Eric Zou. Marine Microplastics and Infant Health. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, October 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.3386/w33094.
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Walker, David, Craig Baker-Austin, Andy Smith, Karen Thorpe, Adil Bakir, Tamara Galloway, Sharron Ganther, et al. A critical review of microbiological colonisation of nano- and microplastics (NMP) and their significance to the food chain. Food Standards Agency, April 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.46756/sci.fsa.xdx112.
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Microplastics are extremely small mixed shaped plastic debris in the environment. These plastics are manufactured (primary microplastics) or formed from the breakdown of larger plastics once they enter the terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments (secondary microplastics). Over time, a combination of physical, photochemical and biological processes can reduce the structural integrity of plastic debris to produce microplastics and even further to produce nanoplastics. NMPs have been detected in both the aquatic and terrestrial environments and can be easily spread by water, soil and air and can be ingested by a wide range of organisms. For example, NMPs have been found in the guts of fish and bivalve shellfish. Microplastics have also been detected in food and in human faeces. Therefore, NMPs are not only found in the environment, but they may contaminate the food supply chain and be ingested by consumers. There is evidence suggesting that microorganisms are able to colonise the surfaces of microplastics and aggregates of nanoplastics. However, the risk to consumers posed by NMPs colonised with microorganisms (including those that are AMR) which enter the food supply chain is currently unknown.
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Vicknesan, S., ed. The microplastics time-bomb in our bodies. Monash University, February 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.54377/a3ae-df81.
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KUHNE, WENDY. ANALYSIS OF MICROPLASTICS IN BIVALVES ALONG FOURMILE BRANCH. Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), October 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.2172/1827687.
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Foekema, Edwin, Susanne Kühn, Kelly Elschot, and Marinka van Puijenbroek. Inventarisatie aspecten rondom opruimen microplastics na maritieme incidenten. Den Helder: Wageningen Marine Research, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.18174/558084.
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