Effects of biofilm colonization on the sinking of microplastics in three freshwater environments

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) have frequently been detected in freshwater environments, and there is growing concern about their ecological effects, especially the influence of the “plastisphere” on the freshwater ecosystems. The colonization of microbes on MPs would significantly alter their transport behavior, i.e., buoyancy, in fresh water. In this research, we studied the effects of biofilm colonization on the sinking and floating of three MPs, i.e., polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), after 44 days of incubation in three freshwater systems (the Niushoushan River, the Qinhuai River, and East Lake) in China. The results showed that the biofilms attached to the three MPs contained different biomass and chlorophyll-a levels were related to water environmental conditions and physicochemical properties of MPs, based on redundancy analysis. Generally, PET and PVC sinking, with density higher than water, tended to increase after biofilm formation. Thereafter, the settling velocity of biofouled PET and PVC squares became faster than that of the virgin ones. In summary, our study suggested that biofouling does affect the sinking of MPs in fresh water and consequently influences the transport behavior and the distribution characteristics of MPs in freshwater environments, and this issue deserves more scientific attention.