Characterization of plastic beach litter by Raman spectroscopy in South-western Spain

Asensio-Montesinos, Francisco; Ramírez, Milagrosa Oliva; González-Leal, J.M.; Carrizo, Daniel; Anfuso, Giorgio

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140890

Cited by 36 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Ceuta is located in North Africa, in the Gibraltar Strait area, but administratively belongs to Spain. Data were obtained from March 2018 to April 2019 and general information on the investigated areas and their litter content can be consulted in previously published papers [15,16,21,45]. All coastal sites have been categorized into four of the five beach typologies according to the definitions of Williams and Micallef (2009): Remote, Rural, Village and Urban bathing areas [46].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the presence of CB has an aesthetic impact on beaches [6] that can affect the "Sun, Sea and Sand" (3S) tourism [20]. Smoking is an activity that produces waste that comprises a large number of different materials: for example, from only one packet of cigarettes, various types of items are dumped on the beach: at least, 20 cigarettes filters made of cellulose acetate and tobacco, a cardboard cigarette packet, two pieces of inner foil packaging and, finally, two pieces of outer plastic packaging made of polypropylene (PP), all of which are very commonly found on beaches in Southern Spain [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Abundance and Distribution of Cigarette Butts on Coastal Environments: Examples from Southern Spain

Asensio-Montesinos

Ramírez

Aguilar-Torrelo

et al. 2021

JMSE

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Litter on beaches is one of the most difficult problems in coastal management and every year, much efforts and public money are invested to try to alleviate and solve the problem. Cigarette butts (CB) are among the most widespread abandoned personal items in the world. In Spain, they are found on all types of beaches, where they are discarded by beach users; however, rivers and streams can also deposit CB on shores. This paper analyses the abundance of CB on different beaches in Southern Spain in order to address and better understand this relevant environmental problem and propose sound solutions to decrease or eliminate their presence. The main factors favouring CB accumulation were identified, namely the seasonality and number of beach users, beach typology (remote, rural, village or urban sites), type of beach sediment and methods and frequency of cleaning operations. Mean and median CB abundance values per 100 m of beach length, calculated from all the data used in this study, were 159 and 68 items, respectively. The largest number of CB were observed at urban sites, followed by village, rural and remote beaches. Further, sand beaches registered higher values of CB than cobble or pebble beaches.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance and Distribution of Cigarette Butts on Coastal Environments: Examples from Southern Spain

Asensio-Montesinos

Ramírez

Aguilar-Torrelo

et al. 2021

JMSE

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“…Table 2 provides an overview of the references found for this study, indicating the preparation and analysis methods that have been used. Spectroscopic methods are used to determine the polymer type, with the most important being Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) [63,76,126] and Raman spectroscopy [94,129,131], both of which are virtually non-destructive. For FT-IR, two methods are generally used for MP identification: attenuated total reflectance (ATR) FT-IR and FT-IR microscopy (µ-FT-IR).…”

Section: Identification: Particle Polymer Typementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Raman spectroscopy is often insufficient for determining polymer types, as dirt, additives, pigments, and other substances may cause interferences, which is a well-known problem [ 128 , 129 , 140 ]. Naturally, there have also been attempts to solve this problem, such as the approach by Munno et al, 2020, who built spectral databases for coloured particles of different shapes and polymer types: one for new and one for aged particles [ 141 ].…”

Section: Sampling Separation Identification and Characterisation Of Collected Microplastic Particlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Microplastic Particles vs. Engineered Plastic Microparticles—A Comparative Review

2021

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Microplastic particles (MPs) pose a novel threat to nature. Despite being first noticed in the 1970s, research on this topic has only surged in recent years. Researchers have mainly focused on environmental plastic particles; however, studies with defined microplastic particles as the sample input are scarce. Furthermore, comparison of those studies indicates a discrepancy between the particles found (e.g., in the environment) and those used for further research (e.g., exposure studies). Obviously, it is important to use particles that resemble those found in the environment to conduct appropriate research. In this review, different categories of microplastic particles are addressed, before covering an overview of the most common separation and analysis methods for environmental MPs is covered. After showing that the particles found in the environment are mostly irregular and polydisperse, while those used in studies with plastic microparticles as samples are often not, different particle production techniques are investigated and suggestions for preparing realistic plastic particles are given.

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“…At beaches, litter generally consists of a wide assortment of plastics, paper, metal, cloth, wood, glass and other materials, which may come from marine (20%, e.g., from fishing activities, ships and offshore installations) and land-based (80%) sources [27,28], such as trash left by recreational beach users or carried by wind, sewage, runoff and rivers [29][30][31]. On average, 60-80% of litter items consist of plastics [32], but this fraction, in certain areas, can be higher than 95% [33,34]. Such high values are fundamentally linked to greater plastic durability and persistence along with its rising production and low rates of recovery [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance and Temporal Distribution of Beach Litter on the Coast of Ceuta (North Africa, Gibraltar Strait)

Asensio-Montesinos

Anfuso

Aguilar-Torrelo

et al. 2021

Water

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Twelve beaches located in Ceuta (Spain) were studied from February to April 2019 to assess litter amounts (expressed as number of items), categories and temporal distribution. At each beach, three surveys were conducted, i.e., one per month (i.e., 36 in total). Selected beaches covered urban (7), rural (2) and remote (3) bathing areas. Plastic represented the dominant material, i.e., 35.2% of all debris, followed by glass (18.2%), pottery/ceramics (14.6%), wood (11.4%), metal (11.4%), paper/cardboard (4.8%), cloth (3.5%), rubber (0.7%), organic (0.3%) and other materials (0.1%). The Clean Coast Index was calculated to classify beaches in five categories for evaluating the cleanliness level of the coast observed at each survey: “Very Clean” (7 surveys), “Clean” (10), “Moderately Dirty” (8), “Dirty” (2) and “Extremely Dirty” (9). Litter occurrence was assessed by the Litter Grade methodology, which allowed to classify beaches in four grades: “A”: very good (0); “B”: good (4); “C”: fair (7); and “D”: poor (25). In a few surveys, some beaches were considered “good”, but their management should not be ignored because in other surveys those beaches reached fair and poor scores. Several potentially harmful litter items were related to beach users. Severe eastern storms removed litter at many of the beaches investigated and favored accumulation at others. Data analysis shows significant differences in litter abundance with respect to site, beach typology and the presence of cleaning operations but no important differences between the studied months. Rural beaches recorded the most litter, followed by urban and remote beaches. All beaches require immediate and more appropriate management actions to improve their environmental status.

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Characterization of plastic beach litter by Raman spectroscopy in South-western Spain

Cited by 36 publications

References 51 publications

Abundance and Distribution of Cigarette Butts on Coastal Environments: Examples from Southern Spain

Abundance and Distribution of Cigarette Butts on Coastal Environments: Examples from Southern Spain

Environmental Microplastic Particles vs. Engineered Plastic Microparticles—A Comparative Review

Abundance and Temporal Distribution of Beach Litter on the Coast of Ceuta (North Africa, Gibraltar Strait)

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