Presence Of Microplastic Particles Research Articles

Treatment process of pre-coagulated waters involving polyethylene (PE) microplastics by ultrafiltration membranes coupled without or with pre-deposited aggregate-based layer

In recent years, environmental and ecological issues caused by microplastics pollution have received widespread attention. The coexistence of polyethylene (PE) microplastics with other soluble and particulate contaminants in water environments is considered to pose a new challenge for water treatment engineering. This study first focused on the combined effects of microplastic size (13 and 150 μm) and concentration (0, 20 and 100 mg/L) of floc properties in the coagulation-flocculation process (CF). The results showed that the involvement of PE microplastics hindered larger floc formation but enhanced the floc strength. The presence of either smaller microplastic particles at a fixed concentration (100 mg/L), or a higher concentration of 13 μm microplastic particles resulted in smaller and more highly-branched floc aggregates. During ultrafiltration of pre-coagulated water (CF-UF), the “13 μm + 100 mg/L” case exhibited less severe membrane fouling than the other cases (“without PE”, “13 μm + 20 mg/L” and “150 μm + 100 mg/L”). Comparing the CF-UF process in the “without PE” and “13 μm + 100 mg/L” cases, the pre-deposited aggregate-based layer could give a lower degree of membrane flux decline and mitigate membrane fouling during ultrafiltration of pre-coagulated water (CF-UFPL). Moreover, both the involvement of PE microplastics and the properties (thickness and compactness) of the pre-deposited layer affected membrane filterability and fouling degree. Lastly, the influencing mechanisms of coexisting microplastics in UF, CF-UF and CF-UFPL processes were explored by comparatively analyzing the correlation of pre-coagulated floc physicochemical characteristics with membrane filterability, water purification efficiency and membrane fouling degree in both the absence and presence of microplastic particles.

Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics in Agricultural Soil on Eisenia fetida (Annelida: Oligochaeta) Behavior, Biomass, and Mortality

The presence of microplastic particles in agroecosystems has profound implications for soil quality, crop yield, and soil biota. Earthworms are widely recognized as valuable soil bioindicators due to their abundance, fast reproduction, and easy manipulation. The aim of this study was to observe Eisenia fetida avoidance behavior and changes in biomass and mortality rate in soil samples spiked with polyethylene microplastic particles. Three types of soil sampled from the agricultural fields (“Banat 1”, “Banat 2”, and “Bačka”) were tested, as well as three microplastic concentrations (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3%). The calculated avoidance percentages ranged from 18.67% for “Banat 1” and 23.70% for “Banat 2” to 27.40% in the case of “Bačka” soil samples. Generally, E. fetida specimens avoided the sections with plastic in all bioassays: 38.42% of the earthworms were in the chamber section that contained microplastics, as opposed to 61.58% in the control section. The changes in the earthworms’ post-test biomasses were directly proportional to the number of surviving earthworms, with the highest loss in “Bačka” soil samples with 0.3% MPs (−53.05%). The highest mortality rate (46%) was noted in “Bačka” soil samples spiked with the highest concentration of microplastic particles.

MICROPLASTICS AND THE AMAZON: FROM THE RIVERS TO THE ESTUARY

Plastic pollution is causing worldwide concern, especially after evidence that the various types of plastic degrade into particles of smaller sizes; known as micro- and nanoplastics. The origin of the plastics in the environment is related to human actions. The objective of this review is to describe the main routes of microplastic input in the Amazonian rivers and how local environmental characteristics can affect the transformation of plastics into microplastics until their absorption by aquatic organisms. The current situation regarding the presence of microplastic particles in freshwater is analyzed considering the environmental dynamics of the region, and focuses on rivers, estuaries and sediments, their effects on organisms, especially on fish, followed by the transportation of microplastic particles to the sea. Amapá, Amazonas, Pará and Mato-Grosso are the states of the Brazilian Amazon with scientific reports on the characterization of microplastic particles in sediment, water, and fish. These studies are local and descriptive and most of them highlight the characterization of microplastics. There is a need for field research in the various microregions of the Amazon, as well as actions to mitigate the damage, including to riverine populations, that is caused by these pollutants in the region.

Microplastics and heavy metals contamination in Atropus atropos and associated health risk assessment in the northwest of the Persian Gulf, Iran

Microplastics (MPs) and heavy metals have become a real concern in the marine biota. In this study, we investigated the concentration of heavy metals and MPs in Atropus atropos caught from two marine locations in Bushehr, northwest of the Persian Gulf. For this, a total of 20 fish with an average weight of 254 ± 35.34 g were collected from two sampling sites in the coast of Bushehr, north of Persian Gulf. The concentration of heavy metals (Pb, Hg, Cd, and As) and MPs were investigated in the muscle and gastrointestinal tract of fish, respectively. Results showed concentration of heavy metals as 0.96–1.56, 0.35–0.66, 0.019–0.052, and 13.45–18.56μg/g for Pb, Hg, Cd, and As, respectively. Hazard index (HI) for adults and children was <1, the highest HI values were calculated for adults (0.026) and children (0.2) in Bushehr. Cancer risk (CR) levels for As were unacceptable (above 10-4) at both sites. The female had the largest MPs abundance (average 1.5 items/g) and males had the lowest abundance of MPs (average 0.3 items/g). Therefore, the presence of microplastic particles and heavy metals in the edible tissue of aquatic species in the Persian Gulf causes many problems in the health of fish and consumers, so efforts should be made to reduce the risk of MPs and heavy metals to the marine biota by considering effective environmental programs.

Can leachates of environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics in marine sediments affect the reproduction of an epibenthic copepod?

Most studies on the effects of microplastics on marine biota are carried out using unrealistically high concentrations. Moreover, although microplastics are capable of carrying toxic substances and thus can cause adverse effects even without coming into direct contact with organisms, little is known about the effects of not accessible for ingestion microplastics on benthic biota. Considering that the presence of microplastic particles can itself cause effects to the biota due to toxic substances leached, the present study evaluated the ecotoxicological effects of microplastic leachates of virgin and beach stranded in marine sediments (whole sediments and elutriates) on the epibenthic copepod Nitokra sp. (size 3 ± 1 mm). Effects on reproduction were evaluated using clean sediment enriched with environmentally relevant concentrations [1 pellet: 46.67g sediment (Low) and 1 pellet: 1.67g sediment (High)] of two types of plastic pellets (size 4 ± 1 mm) (i) virgin (obtained from the manufacturer) or (ii) stranded (collected from Santos beach, São Paulo, Brazil, a highly urbanized beach). The results of the present study showed that microplastics leachate (virgin or from the environment) did not cause an inhibiting effect on reproduction in Nitokra sp. in any of the scenarios tested. These results contribute to further risk assessments of plastic particles for marine biota.

Research Trends on The Presence of Microplastic Particles in The Environment and The Impact of Microplastics Around the World From 2010 - 2022: A Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Research Trends on The Presence of Microplastic Particles in The Environment and The Impact of Microplastics Around the World From 2010 - 2022: A Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Prevalence and physicochemical characteristics of microplastics in the sediment and water of Hashilan Wetland, a national heritage in NW Iran

The freshwater Hashilan Wetland is an Iranian national heritage in Kermanshah Province which is planned to be registered as a World Heritage site because of its uniqueness in Iran and the neighboring countries. However, no comprehensive investigation on microplastics pollution in the sediment and water is available in the literature to help to preserve the aquatic environment. Thus, sediment and water samples were collected at 16 stations of the wetland and the extracted microplastics were characterized using visual identification, fluorescence and polarized lights, SEM-EDX, and μ-Raman methods. The results indicated presence of microplastic particles in Hashilan Wetland samples. A total of 71 microplastic particles were found in the sediments. The highest number of microplastics were observed close to roads, agricultural fields and tourist centers; however, no particle was observed in the control stations far from the aforementioned places. Cluster analysis showed a significant correlation between microplastic concentration and the clay fraction. Regarding the microplastic shape, Fibrous microplastics were the most frequent (>90%) in water and sediment samples. About 38.03% and 33.33% of the found microplastic particles are smaller than 100μm in the sediment and water, respectively. Classifying the microplastics according to their color result in the decreasing order of black/gray (47.88%) > blue/green (33.8%) > red/pink (18.31%) in the sediments and blue/green (66.67%) > red/pink (33.33%) in the waters. The detected microplastics in Hashilan water and sediment were polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) polymer. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) based on IMPROVE program was run and the results demonstrated relatively similar behaviors of microplastic particles and some potentially toxic elements including Pb, Zn, Cu, and Fe together with the percentage of organic matter and clay fraction in the sediments.

Distribution and characterization of microplastics in beach sediments from Karnataka (India) coastal environments

The presence of microplastic particles from five different beach locations (Arabian Sea coast) in the Indian state of Karnataka was assessed. The sieving and density separation method was modified to enhance the yield of microplastics. Three different techniques were used to characterize isolated microplastics, such as optical fluorescence microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and FESEM-EDX. Microplastic concentrations ranged from 264 ± 62 n/kg to 1002 ± 174 n/kg of dry sand in beach sediments, and the average abundance of the five beaches was 664 ± 114 n/kg. The majority of the microplastics were fragmented, <1 mm in size, white and transparent in color. FESEM images of microplastics show the roughness, cracks, mechanical and oxidative weathering, indicating their continuous exposure in the environment. EDX spectra provide the presence of various elements on the microplastic surface.

High Abundances of Microplastic Pollution in Deep-Sea Sediments: Evidence from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.

Plastic pollution in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean has been recorded in scientific literature since the 1980s; however, the presence of microplastic particles (<5 mm) is less understood. Here, we aimed to determine whether microplastic accumulation would vary among Antarctic and Southern Ocean regions through studying 30 deep-sea sediment cores. Additionally, we aimed to highlight whether microplastic accumulation was related to sample depth or the sediment characteristics within each core. Sediment cores were digested and separated using a high-density sodium polytungstate solution (SPT) and microplastic particles were identified using micro-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (μFTIR). Microplastic pollution was found in 93% of the sediment cores (28/30). The mean (±SE) microplastics per gram of sediment was 1.30 ± 0.51, 1.09 ± 0.22, and 1.04 ± 0.39 MP/g, for the Antarctic Peninsula, South Sandwich Islands, and South Georgia, respectively. Microplastic fragment accumulation correlated significantly with the percentage of clay within cores, suggesting that microplastics have similar dispersion behavior to low density sediments. Although no difference in microplastic abundance was found among regions, the values were much higher in comparison to less remote ecosystems, suggesting that the Antarctic and Southern Ocean deep-sea accumulates higher numbers of microplastic pollution than previously expected.

Plastiglomerates, Microplastics, Nanoplastics

We eat, drink, breathe, touch and absorb plastic polymers. The global proliferation of plastic objects permeates not only the deep sea, but also our kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and bodies. This essay examines a series of case studies crystallizing some thoughts towards a dark ecology of plastic performativity. First, I develop a theoretical framework of plastic ecologies with reference to Kelly Jazvac's (2013-19) sculptural ‘Plastiglomerate readymades', naturally occurring mineral assemblages of melded plastic debris and geological sediment, and Pinar Yoldas's (2014) ‘Organs of the plastisphere', speculative biological adaptions for post-human creatures to sense and digest plastic. Then, I turn to Allison Cobb's (2015) Plastic: an autobiography , a creative non-fiction text based upon a durational, research-based process of uncovering links between the writer's embodied experience and plastic's history and materiality. Acknowledging the presence of microplastic particles within her body, Cobb speaks for plastic because she is plastic: the autobiographical individual subject becomes a plural, porous subject, an assemblage of vital materialities with distributed agency. Next, I discuss Claudia Borgna's (2015) performance art piece When I breathe you breathe, when you breathe I breathe, in which the artist breathes into a plastic bag. Borgna’s work explores ambivalent human affects towards plastic and subverts the common-sense assumption that plastic is toxic to humans by linking plastic with the breath, with what we need to survive. Finally, I theorize plastic subjectivity, suggesting that microplastics and nanoplastics activate a queer form of biological performativity. An ecological awareness of our bodies becoming-plastic may allow us to relinquish our illusions of individual sovereignty, and let ourselves slip into the ebb and flow of the sea of actants within us.

Exploring the Efficacy of Nile Red in Microplastic Quantification: A Costaining Approach

The presence of microplastic particles (<5 mm) in the environment has generated considerable concern across public, political, and scientific platforms. However, the diversity of microplastics that...

Large microplastic particles in sediments of tributaries of the River Thames, UK – Abundance, sources and methods for effective quantification

Sewage effluent input and population were chosen as predictors of microplastic presence in sediments at four sites in the River Thames basin (UK). Large microplastic particles (1mm–4mm) were extracted using a stepwise approach to include visual extraction, flotation and identification using Raman spectroscopy. Microplastics were found at all four sites. One site had significantly higher numbers of microplastics than other sites, average 66 particles 100g−1, 91% of which were fragments. This site was downstream of a storm drain outfall receiving urban runoff; many of the fragments at this site were determined to be derived of thermoplastic road-surface marking paints. At the remaining three sites, fibres were the dominant particle type. The most common polymers identified included polypropylene, polyester and polyarylsulphone. This study describes two major new findings: presence of microplastic particles in a UK freshwater system and identification of road marking paints as a source of microplastics. CapsuleThis study is the first to quantify microplastics of any size in river sediments in the UK and links their presence to terrestrial sources including sewage and road marking paints.

Pollution and fish life in the River Thames, England

Sewage effluent input and population were chosen as predictors of microplastic presence in sediments at four sites in the River Thames basin (UK). Large microplastic particles (1 mm–4 mm) were extracted using a stepwise approach to include visual extraction, flotation and identification using Raman spectroscopy. Microplastics were found at all four sites. One site had significantly higher numbers of microplastics than other sites, average 66 particles 100 g− 1, 91% of which were fragments. This site was downstream of a storm drain outfall receiving urban runoff; many of the fragments at this site were determined to be derived of thermoplastic road-surface marking paints. At the remaining three sites, fibres were the dominant particle type. The most common polymers identified included polypropylene, polyester and polyarylsulphone. This study describes two major new findings: presence of microplastic particles in a UK freshwater system and identification of road marking paints as a source of microplastics.This study is the first to quantify microplastics of any size in river sediments in the UK and links their presence to terrestrial sources including sewage and road marking paints.