Мікропластик як глобальне джерело забруднення навколишнього середовища

Abstract

In the work, a comprehensive analysis of the accumulation of microplastic in natural and technical objects: World Ocean, surface waters, soils, agrochemicals, food products has been carried out, its direct and indirect negative impact on human health and biota, soil destruction and disruption of the normal functioning of ecological systems are noted. It has been established that the uncontrolled production of plastics leads to mass pollution not only of the equator of the World Ocean, but also to the formation of microplastics sediment on the bottom of the ocean. It is noted that chemically inert polymers contain toxic chemicals/additives: flame retardants, plasticizers, UV stabilizers, antimicrobial additives and solvents. Their toxic effect on certain organisms has not been studied in detail and poses a potential threat to human health and marine fauna. Recently, the widespread use of microplastic in the countries of the European Economic Area in agriculture, which is used to cover toxic pesticides and fertilizers, has been noted. Such use accounts for 65 % of the total microplastic pollution in these countries, which is 4—23 times more than the pollution of the world's oceans. Microplastic poses a potential threat to the health of farmers, has a negative impact on soil structure, climate, food quality, and existing ecosystems. Taking into account the size of microplastic from 1 mm to 1 μm, its determination by traditional methods is impossible. For this, the method of Dynamic Laser Scattering (DLS) is effectively used, which makes it possible to determine the dispersion, size of particles and their distribution in the solution by individual fractions. The method of thermal and catalytic low-temperature pyrolysis of plastic/microplastic waste disposal is considered, which allows them to be effectively processed into environmentally safe and renewable energy resources.