Expanding exploration of dynamic microplastic surface characteristics and interactions

Burrows, Stephen D.; Frustaci, Simona; Thomas, Kevin V.; Galloway, Tamara S.

doi:10.1016/j.trac.2020.115993

Cited by 58 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…The composition of the plastic in addition to its physical properties, environmental effects, and exposure time define a microplastic particle [ 30 , 76 ]. Its interaction with environmental elements, accumulation, and association with other plastic and pollutive particles, given by its physical properties, define its effects on the ecosystem [ 77 ]. Microplastic particles have a variety of shapes, including spheres, fibers, fragments, and films, each related to their source and composition with a varying pollutive potential through their macroscopic and microscopic biological effects [ 78 ].…”

Section: Environmental Impact and Health Effects Of Synthetic Plastic...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Circular Economy of Plastics: An Evaluation of the Systematic Transition to a New Generation of Bioplastics

et al. 2022

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Plastics have become an essential part of the modern world thanks to their appealing physical and chemical properties as well as their low production cost. The most common type of polymers used for plastic account for 90% of the total production and are made from petroleum-based nonrenewable resources. Concerns over the sustainability of the current production model and the environmental implications of traditional plastics have fueled the demand for greener formulations and alternatives. In the last decade, new plastics manufactured from renewable sources and biological processes have emerged from research and have been established as a commercially viable solution with less adverse effects. Nevertheless, economic and legislative challenges for biobased plastics hinder their widespread implementation. This review summarizes the history of plastics over the last century, including the most relevant bioplastics and production methods, the environmental impact and mitigation of the adverse effects of conventional and emerging plastics, and the regulatory landscape that renewable and recyclable bioplastics face to reach a sustainable future.

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Section: Environmental Impact and Health Effects Of Synthetic Plastic...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Circular Economy of Plastics: An Evaluation of the Systematic Transition to a New Generation of Bioplastics

et al. 2022

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“…The influence of roughness on surface sorption was confirmed, for instance, on polystyrene particles (PS) more subjected to heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Cd, Ni, Zn) when degraded by UV radiation. One recent paper (2020) [ 41 ] proposes the usage of atomic force microscopy (AFM) for curvature description, double-shot Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass-Spectrometry for studies of sorption behaviour and Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) nanosensing for exploring the sorption kinetics. This last parameter is useful in the determination of the environmental impact of adsorbed pollutants, their transport and bioavailability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Proposal and Necessity of the Numerical Description of Nano- and Microplastics’ Surfaces (Plastisphere)

2021

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The constantly growing amount of synthetic materials < 5 mm, called microplastics (MPs), is fragmented in the environment. Thus, their surface, Plastisphere, is substantially increasing forming an entirely new ecological niche. It has already been extensively studied by microbiologists observing the biofilm and by material scientists interested in the weathering of polymer materials. This paper aims to construct a bridge between the physical and chemical description of the Plastisphere and its microbiological and ecological significance. Various algorithms, based on the analysis of pictures obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), are proposed to describe in detail the morphology of naturally weathered polymers. In particular, one can study the size and distribution of fibres in a standard filter, search the synthetic debris for mapping, estimate the grain size distribution, quantitatively characterize the different patterns of degradation for polymer spheres and ghost nets, or calculate the number of pores per surface. The description and visualization of a texture, as well as the classification of different morphologies present on a surface, are indispensable for the comprehensive characterization of weathered polymers found inside animals (e.g., fishes). All these approaches are presented as case studies and discussed within this work.

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“…Plastic pollution is recognized as a threat to ecosystems, habitats and wildlife (Missawi et al, 2020;Paffenhöfer and Köster, 2020;Pannetier et al 2020). Scientists have made progress in studying the ecological dynamics of microplastics (plastic particles sized 1 μm -5 mm (GESAMP, 2019)) in the ocean (Burrows et al, 2020;Chubarenko et al, 2016;Lusher et al, 2015), but the qualitative and quantitative composition, the main sources and the ecological role of microplastics supply from the rivers remain poorly understood. Meanwhile, a study of freshwater river systems is necessary to understand the fate of plastic in the hydrosphere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of seasonal variability of input of microplastics from the Northern Dvina River to the Arctic ocean.

Zhdanov

Lokhov

Belesov

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The flowing into the White Sea Northern Dvina River is the largest river in the European Arctic, and in contrast to other Arctic rivers, it runs through the populated regions with developed industry. Observations on seasonal variability of microplastics were organized in the Northern Dvina River mouth. The samples were collected every month from September to November 2019 and from May to October 2020 with a Neuston net that was togged 3 nautical miles in the Korbel&#8217;nyy Branch of the River delta. Surface plastic with dimensions ranging from 0.5 to 5 mm was analyzed. Chemical composition of the plastic particles was determined using an FT-IR spectrometery in Norway (Oslo) and Russia (Arkhangelsk). The majority of the microplastics were identified as polyethylene (PE) 52.63%, followed by polypropylene (PP) 36.84% and Ethylene Ethyl Acrylate Copolymer (EEA) 10.53%. &#160;It was found that the average concentration of microplastics was 0.0054 items/m3, that is close to the average concentration of surface microplastics observed in the in the open Barents Sea, 0.005 items/m3 (Yakushev et al. 2021). No detectable seasonal variability of the microplastics content in the waters of the Northern Dvina was found. With an assumption that the concentration of microplastics is the same in all the depths, we can assess how the amount of delivering to the sea microplastics changes throughout the year. The microplastics input rate during the spring flood period in May turned out to be maximum, 37.76 items/second. The minimum input rate can be in September with a value of to 5.28 items/second. The data obtained allow us to conclude that the Northern Dvina River is be one of the main sources of microplastic pollution of the White and Barents Seas. This work was partly funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment project RUS-19/0001 &#8220;Establish regional capacity to measure and model the distribution and input of microplastics to the Barents Sea from rivers and currents (ESCIMO)&#8221; and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, research projects 19-55-80004.

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Expanding exploration of dynamic microplastic surface characteristics and interactions

Cited by 58 publications

References 75 publications

Towards a Circular Economy of Plastics: An Evaluation of the Systematic Transition to a New Generation of Bioplastics

Towards a Circular Economy of Plastics: An Evaluation of the Systematic Transition to a New Generation of Bioplastics

The Proposal and Necessity of the Numerical Description of Nano- and Microplastics’ Surfaces (Plastisphere)

Assessment of seasonal variability of input of microplastics from the Northern Dvina River to the Arctic ocean.

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