Microplastic Waste Research Articles

Acoustic and thermal characterization of a novel sustainable material incorporating recycled microplastic waste

Worldwide, high plastic consumption leads to huge waste production. Macro and microplastic litter affects habitats everywhere, but especially marine environments. Unfortunately, plastic is particularly difficult to retrieve from the sea, since it tends to break up into smaller pieces due to wind, water movement and solar irradiation. Hence, its end-of-life handling and management has become a major issue. Most of the time recovered plastic waste is landfilled or burnt, since it is composed of an assortment of different polymers and/or has been polluted by salt or other marine substances.For these reasons, new recycling methods for marine litter, pursuing cleaner production criteria, are urgently required. This article presents a brand-new sustainable material, an eco-friendly foam made of waste microplastics incorporated into a bio-matrix. This novel open-cell material can be used as acoustic and thermal insulation for industrial, civil and maritime applications. Thus, an in-depth characterization is depicted, providing evidence of very good insulation properties and revealing how microplastics can be used to customize final acoustic and thermal performances.

Identification of microplastic waste in sea water, sediment in the sea waters of Dumai City, Riau Province

This study aims to determine the types of microplastics in the waters of Dumai City. The method used in this research is a survey method, namely by direct observation in the field and data analysis in the laboratory. Based on research from seawater and sediment taken from seawater in Dumai City, it was found three types of microplastics, referred to as Fiber, Fragment and Filament, whose abundance was significantly different. The average abundance of microplastics in seawater is 0.130-0.200 particles / L particles / L; The sediment was 193.33-746.67 particles/Kg.

Mutational signatures associated with exposure to carcinogenic microplastic compounds bisphenol A and styrene oxide.

Microplastic pollutants in oceans and food chains are concerning to public health. Common plasticizing compounds Bisphenol-A (BPA) and Styrene-7,8-Oxide (SO) are now labeled as carcinogens. We show that BPA and SO cause deoxyribonucleic acid damage and mutagenesis in human cells, and analyze the genome-wide point mutation and genomic rearrangement patterns associated with BPA and SO exposure. A subset of the single- and doublet base substitutions shows mutagenesis near or at guanine, consistent with these compounds’ preferences to form guanosine adducts. Presence of other mutational signatures suggest additional mutagenesis probably due to complex effects of BPA and SO on diverse cellular processes. Analyzing data for 19 cancer cohorts, we find that tumors of digestive and urinary organs show relatively high similarity in mutational profiles, and the burden of such mutations increases with age. Even within the same cancer type, proportions of corresponding mutational patterns vary among the cohorts from different countries, as does the amount of microplastic waste in ocean waters. BPA and SO are relatively mild mutagens, and other environmental agents can also potentially generate similar, complex mutational patterns in cancer genomes. Nonetheless, our findings call for systematic evaluation of public health consequences of microplastic exposure worldwide.

Microplastics are raining down from the sky

Microplastic waste has become so prevalent in the environment that it is being picked up and transported by the wind and the rain. We linked plastic fallout rates with air-mass movements to understand where plastics are coming from, how far they are travelling, and how much of them is raining out of the sky. - submission by Janice Brahney

Marine Environmental Plastic Pollution: Mitigation by Microorganism Degradation and Recycling Valorization

Plastics are very useful materials and present numerous advantages in the daily life of individuals and society. However, plastics are accumulating in the environment and due to their low biodegradability rate, this problem will persist for centuries. Until recently, oceans were treated as places to dispose of litter, thus the persistent substances are causing serious pollution issues. Plastic and microplastic waste has a negative environmental, social, and economic impact, e.g., causing injury/death to marine organisms and entering the food chain, which leads to health problems. The development of solutions and methods to mitigate marine (micro)plastic pollution is in high demand. There is a knowledge gap in this field, reason why research on this thematic is increasing. Recent studies reported the biodegradation of some types of polymers using different bacteria, biofilm forming bacteria, bacterial consortia, and fungi. Biodegradation is influenced by several factors, from the type of microorganism to the type of polymers, their physicochemical properties, and the environment conditions (e.g., temperature, pH, UV radiation). Currently, green environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic made from renewable feedstocks are starting to enter the market. This review covers the period from 1964 to April 2020 and comprehensively gathers investigation on marine plastic and microplastic pollution, negative consequences of plastic use, and bioplastic production. It lists the most useful methods for plastic degradation and recycling valorization, including degradation mediated by microorganisms (biodegradation) and the methods used to detect and analyze the biodegradation.

POTENSI MIKROORGANISME SEBAGAI AGEN BIOREMEDIASI MIKROPLASTIK DI LAUT

Microplastic is a threat to the survival of organisms on terrestrial and ocean. Microplastic waste accumulation from human activities will accumulate in the environment. The presence of microplastics in the environment is a problem because plastics are persistent. Plastics often contain chemicals that are potentially toxic and carcinogenic. They are consumed by organisms that will affect aquatic life. Plastic waste in the ocean will directly or indirectly poison the marine biota, damaging coral reefs which will further damage the balance of the marine ecosystem. The process of decomposition of plastic waste into microplastics takes hundreds of years through physical, chemical, and biological processes. The problem of microplastic waste can be overcome by biotechnology approaches. One of the strategies to control microplastic pollution is remediation technology by utilizing the potential of indigenous bacteria that grow in their natural environment. Furthermore, the use of bioremediation agents from other microorganisms has been carried out among them, using Fungi and Actinomycetes. The potential of microplastic degrading microorganisms in sea waters has not been done in depth, especially studies in improving the ability of microorganisms to degrade microplastics. The purpose of writing this review is to review the potential of microplastic degrading bacteria originating from marine waters.

PENGARUH PENYULUHAN KESEHATAN TERHADAP PENGETAHUAN PENCEMARAN SAMPAH MAKROPLASTIK DAN MIKROPLASTIK PADA MAHASISWA PRODI DIII PEREKAM DAN INFORMASI KESEHATAN STIKes IMELDA

Health education is one of the techniques to increase someone’s knowledge level due to the aim of improving knowledge and well understanding regarding microplastic and microplastic pollution. This research aimed to analyze the effect of health education towards the knowledge regarding macroplastic and microplastic pollution among students at the medical record and health major in the college of health sciences Imelda in terms of health education. This research used a quantitative approach with a Quasi-Experimental Study Design of a non-equivalent control group. The population was all the students with the medical record and health information major. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling, all the first-year students. The group of the sample consisted of two groups- the intervention and the control group. The intervention group consisted of 73 people who have given health education. Control group consisted of 73 people who have not given any health education. The statistic test used was the Wilcoxon test. The statistic result on the knowledge variable among the experiment group who had a good knowledge level refer to the pre-test score only 4.1 %. After given health education, the increasing number of people who had a good knowledge level (76.1%). The good knowledge level among the control group only showed 1.4% (pre-test and post-test). The result showed there was a significant increase after given health education among the experiment group (p=0.00). However, another result showed there was no significant difference among the control group (p=1.00). Health education towards macroplastic and microplastic pollution had a significant influence to the knowledge level for students. It is recommended for further research to examine the role of knowledge towards attitudes and behaviors or actions in the management of macro and microplastic waste pollution. Based on the results of the pre-test where respondents still have less and moderate knowledge while the issue of plastic waste in Indonesia requires full attention and more participation from the community from society, it is necessary to get the attention of educational institutions to further elaborate and educate students in pollution macro-plastic and microplastic waste.

Biotechnological Potential for Microplastic Waste

Plastic has become a critical material in the modern world due to its low cost and easy production. However, inadequate management and open disposal make plastic a major obstacle to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This article emphasizes the role of biotechnology in addressing the issue of microplastic waste.

Biodegradation mechanism of polycaprolactone by a novel esterase MGS0156: a QM/MM approach.

Nowadays micro-plastic pollution has become one of the most serious global environmental problems. A potential strategy in managing micro-plastic waste is enzyme-catalyzed degradation. MGS0156 is a hydrolase screened from environmental metagenomes, which can efficiently degrade commercial plastics such as polycaprolactone, polylactide, etc. Here a combined molecular dynamics, molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area, and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanism method was used to reveal the enzymatic depolymerization mechanism. By systematically analyzing the binding processes of nine oligomers (from a monomer to tetramer), we found that longer oligomers have relatively stronger binding energy. The degradation process involves two concerted elementary steps: triad-assisted nucleophilic attack and C-O bond cleavage. C-O bond cleavage is the rate determining step with an average barrier of 15.7 kcal mol-1, which is consistent with the experimentally determined kcat (1101 s-1, corresponds to 13.3 kcal mol-1). The electrostatic influence analysis of twenty amino acids highlights His231 and Asp237 as potential mutation targets for designing more efficient MGS0156 mutants.

A value-added insight of reusing microplastic waste: Carrier particle in fluidized bed bioreactor for simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal from septic wastewater

Turning microplastic litter into reusable products is a resource-saving and eco-friendly strategy of disposing of plastic pollution. This work realized a value-added insight of reusing microplastic waste by processing the recycled microplastic items with clay waste into composite particle (CP). Furthermore, the systematic evaluation of CP particle was carried out in a Liquid-solid fluidized bed bioreactor (LSFBBR-CP) treating septic sewage with low COD to nitrogen ratio (C/N ≤3). The commercial inorganic particle, bioceramsite (BC), was tested in the LSFBBR-BC for comparison. During the 257-day stepwise operation, two LSFBBRs constantly achieved effluent of TCOD <45 mg L−1 and low observed sludge yield (Yobs ≤0.067 g VSS g-1 COD). Comparatively, the lower fluidization velocity for the CP particles (ul, 0.67-1.20 cm s-1) not only contributed to high biomass attachment (17.2 mg VSS g-1 CP particles) but also favored nitrifiers (Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira, Nitrobacter and Nitrospira) enrichment. Additionally, the LSFBBR-CP outperformed the LSFBBR-BC in energy conservation by consuming 41.1–47.4% less energy for fluidization, due to the lower ul. Contrary to BC particles’ attrition regarding to particle size decrease and surface chemicals loss, the CP particles exhibited superiority in physio-chemical stability. Those comparative advantages confirmed that the CP could be a promising alternative for BC as a carrier particle in LSFBBR, suggesting that turning microplastic litter into reusable carrier particle for FBBRs is feasible.

Emission of primary microplastics in mainland China: Invisible but not negligible

Primary microplastics are mostly produced as part of the daily plastic product use. The emission process is often invisible but poses potential ecological hazards. Thus, primary microplastics deserve public attention. Due to China's huge population base and its rapid economic development, primary microplastics emissions are of both regional and global significance. This study is the first to establish the emission inventory of primary microplastics in mainland China. It was estimated that the primary microplastic waste from mainland China amounts to 737.29 Gg, and one-sixth of this amount entered the aquatic environment in 2015. The highest proportion of this waste was attributable to tire dust and synthetic fiber, accounting for 53.91% and 28.77% of the total respectively, in mainland China. The primary microplastics emissions mainly depend on the population, followed by the level of economic development. It was roughly estimated that 538 g of microplastics is produced by each person in China. At the grid scale, the spatial difference in the total primary microplastics emissions in mainland China primarily depends on the population density distribution and transportation network. We studied the entire life cycle of several sources of microplastics, from production to discharge into the aquatic environment. We suggested different control measures under different nodes. Increasing microplastics treatment in sewage treatment plants should be a short-term viable way to achieve some measure of reduction in their entry to the environment in mainland China. Our research can not only raise public awareness about primary microplastics, but can also guide the development of environmental policies to reduce plastic pollution.

A temporal sediment record of microplastics in an urban lake, London, UK

A radionuclide-dated (210Pb and 137Cs) sediment core collected from Hampstead Pond No. 1, a North London lake, was used to provide novel data on the historical accumulation of microplastic waste in the urban environment. Microplastics were extracted from sediments by sieving and dense-liquid separation. Fibres of anthropogenic origin dominated the assemblage. Microplastics were first identified by microscopy before Raman spectroscopy of selected particles was used to determine the composition of synthetic polymers and dyes. Polystyrene microplastic particles were identified, in addition to synthetic fibres of polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl chloride and fibres containing synthetic dyes. Concentrations of total microplastics in the sediment samples ranged from detection level to 539 particles per kilogram of dried sediment. Proliferation of microplastics is evident in the core from the late 1950s to the present. Relatively low numbers of particles were found in older sediments, comparable to laboratory blanks, highlighting the difficulty of extending a plastic chronostratigraphy back to the early twentieth century. This study shows that, with optimisation, routine extraction of microplastics from radionuclide-dated lake sediments can add an important temporal perspective to our understanding of microplastics in aquatic systems.

Tracking the distribution of microfiber pollution in a southern Lake Michigan watershed through the analysis of water, sediment and air.

Microplastic waste is a worldwide problem, heavily afflicting marine and freshwater environments; the loading of this pollution in water, sediment and living organisms continues to escalate. Synthetic microfibers, resulting from the release of microscopic fibers from synthetic textiles, constitute the most prevalent type of microplastics pollution in aquatic environments. This study investigated the origin and distribution of synthetic microfibers in a representative Lake Michigan watershed in Indiana (USA) by analyzing water, sediment and air samples above and below wastewater treatment plant discharges, downstream in the watershed and water from the Lake Michigan shoreline. Synthetic microfibers were also quantified in wastewater from a local wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and in laundry effluent. Laboratory testing of numerous fabrics suggests that Fenton oxidation, used to break down natural fibers, effectively eliminates non-polluting, natural fibers from the samples. However, the hydroxyl radical-mediated oxidation bleaches the dye from certain synthetic microfibers, which likely leads to under-reported values for these microplastics in natural samples. The data collected from the watershed samples indicate that approximately 4 billion synthetic microfibers are transported daily through the Lake Michigan tributary. Wastewater effluent is not the only source of synthetic microfibers, since surface water samples above the WWTP contained a similar load to downstream samples. Repeated sampling exhibited variability in the number of microfibers detected, substantiating the heterogeneous distribution of these pollutants and the requirement for multiple samples for a given site. The average load of synthetic microfibers from water sampled at the Lake Michigan shoreline was higher than the tributary water, suggesting the shoreline functions as a repository for the microfibers. Given the extent and potential consequences of this pollution, quantification of the ubiquitous plastic fibers can be instituted as part of the traditional total suspended solids (TSS) water quality monitoring parameter.

Microplastic tracking from Pacific garbage to Northern Indonesia Sea

This study aims to examine the pattern of microplastic waste movement of Pacific Garbage Patch (PGP) that has the potential to enter the north of Indonesia sea. This study very important because microplastic affected the regional tourism activities, water pollution, and economics of fisherman and local society. The impact is very widerange to local and national economics. The method used is a simulation and descriptive analysis. The simulation method used is hydrodynamic simulation and trajectory of particles conducted for 365 days in 2016. The study areas in this study include eastern Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Pacific Ocean. The data used are wind, tidal, bathymetry, microplastic weight, and microplastic flux. The simulation results show the movement of microplastic at point source 1 tends to the northeast with a clockwise circular motion. The simulation results at source point 2 indicate that the microplastic movement tends to revolve around the source point in a clockwise circular motion. The result of simulation of source point 3 shows that the microplastic movement tends to the north with the circular motion and left-right movement. The displacement of microplastic particles within a year is only 0.11 - 8.94 km from the source point. This study showed that within a year, microplastic waste from PGP does not have the potential to enter the waters of Indonesia.

Characterization of microplastic litter from oceans by an innovative approach based on hyperspectral imaging

An innovative approach, based on HyperSpectral Imaging (HSI), was developed in order to set up an efficient method to analyze marine microplastic litter. HSI was applied to samples collected by surface-trawling plankton nets from several parts of the world (i.e. Arctic, Mediterranean, South Atlantic and North Pacific). Reliable information on abundance, size, shape and polymer type for the whole ensemble of plastic particles in each sample was retrieved from single hyperspectral images. The simultaneous characterization of the polymeric composition of the plastic debris represents an important analytical advantage considering that this information, and even the validation of the plastic nature of the small debris, is a common flaw in the analysis of marine microplastic pollution. HSI was revealed as a rapid, non-invasive, non-destructive and reliable technology for the characterization of the microplastic waste, opening a promising way for improving the plastic pollution monitoring.

Some problems and practicalities in design and interpretation of samples of microplastic waste

Improved design of sampling microplastic waste is necessary. Important problems are identified and suggestions for improvements are made.