Entrainment and horizontal atmospheric transport of microplastics from soil

Abbasi, Sajjad; Rezaei, Mahrooz; Mina, Monireh; Sameni, Abdolmajid; Oleszczuk, Patryk; Turner, Andrew; Ritsema, C.J.

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138150

Cited by 22 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…(B) Size distribution of microplastics from wind-blown sediment samples based on the longest side of 35 identified microplastic pieces. (C) Dominant size ranges from 18 global studies − analyzing microplastics in wind-blown sediments, where the highlighted region is the theoretical estimate of the critical size for maximum resuspension.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preferential Emission of Microplastics from Biosolid-Applied Agricultural Soils: Field Evidence and Theoretical Framework

Leonard,

Ravi,

Mohanty

2024

Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett.

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Land application of wastewater biosolids on agricultural soils is suggested as a sustainable pathway to support the circular economy; however, this practice often enriches microplastics and associated contaminants in topsoil. Wind could transport these contaminated microplastics, thereby increasing their inhalation health risks. Analyzing wind-borne sediments collected from wind tunnel experiments on biosolid-applied agricultural fields, we show enrichment of microplastics in wind-blown sediments. We explain this preferential transport and enrichment of microplastics by using a theoretical framework. This framework reveals how the combined effects of the low density of microplastics and weakened wet-bonding interparticle forces between microplastics and soil particles lower their threshold velocity, the minimum wind velocity necessary for wind erosion to occur. Our calculations indicate that microplastics could be emitted at wind speeds lower than the characteristic threshold of background soil. Analyzing the windspeed distribution for 3 months of wind events over a bare soil surface, we showed that more than 84% of the wind events exceed the threshold velocity of microplastics of size 150 μm, while only 23% of the wind events exceed the threshold velocity of the background soil. Thus, current models for fugitive dust emissions may underestimate the microplastic emission potential of biosolid-amended soils.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preferential Emission of Microplastics from Biosolid-Applied Agricultural Soils: Field Evidence and Theoretical Framework

Leonard,

Ravi,

Mohanty

2024

Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett.

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“…Recent studies demonstrated that atmospheric transport represents the main pathway of MPs to remote areas, including mountain ones (Allen et al 2019 ; Wang et al 2022 ). Thus, MPs transported by natural and artificial vectors contaminate the atmosphere far from areas of industrial production (Petersen and Hubbart 2021 ; Abbasi et al 2023 ) and enter mountain soil and freshwaters through wet (for larger MPs) and dry (for small MPs and nanoparticles) deposition (Allen et al 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Altitudinal variation of microplastic abundance in lakeshore sediments from Italian lakes

Parolini,

Perin,

De Felice

et al. 2024

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Microplastic (MP) contamination represents an issue of global concern for both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, but only in recent years, the study of MPs has been focused on freshwaters. Several monitoring surveys have detected the presence of a wide array of MPs differing in size, shape, and polymer composition in rivers and lakes worldwide. Because of their role of sink for plastic particles, the abundance of MPs was investigated in waters, and deep and shoreline sediments from diverse lakes, confirming the ubiquity of this contamination. Although diverse factors, including those concerning anthropogenic activities and physical characteristics of lakes, have been supposed to affect MP abundances, very few studies have directly addressed these links. Thus, the aim of the present study was to explore the levels of MP contamination in mountain and subalpine lakes from Northern Italy. Fourteen lakes dislocated at different altitudes and characterized by dissimilar anthropic pressures were visited. Lakeshore sediments were collected close to the drift line to assess MPs contamination. Our results showed the presence of MPs in lakeshore sediments from all the lakes, with a mean (± standard deviation) expressed as MPs/Kg dry sediment accounting to 14.42 ± 13.31 (range 1.57–61.53), while expressed as MPs/m2, it was 176.07 ± 172.83 (range 25.00–666.67). The MP abundance measured for Garda Lake was significantly higher compared to all the other ones (F1,13 = 7.344; P < 0.001). The pattern of contamination was dominated by fibers in all the lakes, but they were the main contributors in mountain lakes. These findings showed that the MP abundance varied according to the altitude of the lakes, with higher levels measured in subalpine lakes located at low altitudes and surrounded by populated areas.

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“…Several studies have shown that airborne MPs in resuspended dust are enriched compared to MPs in the soil. ,, This is likely due to the lower density of plastics compared to mineral dust and is probably also related to their often more complex shapes, both of which enhance resuspension . Values for the number enrichment ratio (ER), i.e., the ratio of MP number fraction in the airborne wind-eroded sediment (in particles/kg) to the MP number fraction in the primary soil (in particles/kg), were determined in a wind tunnel by Bullard et al Since all MP particles used in Bullard et al have the same density and volume, their number ER corresponds to the ER defined in eq .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric Resuspension of Microplastics from Bare Soil Regions

Evangelou,

Tatsii,

Bucci

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Microplastics (MPs) are emerging as an atmospheric pollutant. Here, we present a method of estimating MP resuspension with mineral dust in bare soil based on reported MP mass in soils, their enrichment in suspended dust relative to soil, and a mineral dust resuspension scheme. Using the estimated resuspensions, we simulate the global atmospheric MP transport and deposition using the dispersion model FLEXPART for two particle shape scenarios, spheres, and fibers. We estimate the uncertainties using a Monte Carlo technique that varies input data parameters within their reported ranges. The total MP resuspensions are estimated at about 104 (48−110) tonnes yr −1 . We find that bare soils in West Asia and North Africa are the main source regions. FLEXPART results show that fibers have higher concentrations in the atmosphere and are dispersed more widely than spheres. Annually, 75 (43−83) tonnes of microfibers are deposited on land and 29 (18−33) tonnes in the oceans. Resuspended MPs can even reach remote regions, such as the Arctic. The results suggest that areas with bare soils can be an important MP source; however, further research on the factors that affect resuspension is needed.

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Entrainment and horizontal atmospheric transport of microplastics from soil

Cited by 22 publications

References 28 publications

Preferential Emission of Microplastics from Biosolid-Applied Agricultural Soils: Field Evidence and Theoretical Framework

Preferential Emission of Microplastics from Biosolid-Applied Agricultural Soils: Field Evidence and Theoretical Framework

Altitudinal variation of microplastic abundance in lakeshore sediments from Italian lakes

Atmospheric Resuspension of Microplastics from Bare Soil Regions

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