Tackling Marine Microplastics Pollution: an Overview of Existing Solutions

Fiore, Melania; Garofalo, Silvia Fraterrigo; Migliavacca, Alessandro; Mansutti, Alessandro; Fino, Debora; Tommasi, Tonia

doi:10.1007/s11270-022-05715-5

Cited by 22 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Remediating MP contaminants using nontoxic methods and without major disturbances to the natural water constituents is a major challenge that should begin with a feasibility study [60]. A number of newer technologies that mostly involve filtration have been outlined in a review by Fiore et al [61]. For point source microplastic pollution, the most effective solutions involve upstream actions to eliminate the release into the environment, which often requires binding policies and enforcement [62].…”

Section: Potential Remediation Methodology For Mp Contamination In Su...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and Fate of Polyethylene Microplastics Released by a Portable Toilet Manufacturer into a Freshwater Wetland and Lake

Peller,

Tabor,

Davis

et al. 2023

Water

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A portable toilet manufacturer in northwest Indiana (USA) released polyethylene microplastic (MP) pollution into a protected wetland for at least three years. To assess the loads, movement, and fate of the MPs in the wetland from this point source, water and sediment samples were collected in the fall and spring of 2021–2023. Additional samples, including sediment cores and atmospheric particulates, were collected during the summer of 2023 from select areas of the wetland. The MPs were isolated from the field samples using density separation, filtration, and chemical oxidation. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy analyses identified the MPs as polyethylene, which were quantified visually using a stereomicroscope. The numbers of MPs in 100 mL of the marsh water closest to the source ranged from several hundred to over 400,000, while the open water samples contained few microplastics. Marsh surface sediments were highly contaminated with MPs, up to 18,800 per 30.0 g dry mass (dm), compared to core samples in the lower depths (>15 cm) that contained only smaller MPs (<200 µm), numbering 0–480 per 30.0 g (dm). The wide variations in loads of MP contaminants indicate the influence of numerous factors, such as proximity to the point source pollution, weather conditions, natural matter, and pollution sinks, namely sediment deposition. As proof of concept, we demonstrated a novel remediation method using these real-world samples to effectively agglomerate and remove MPs from contaminated waters.

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Section: Potential Remediation Methodology For Mp Contamination In Su...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and Fate of Polyethylene Microplastics Released by a Portable Toilet Manufacturer into a Freshwater Wetland and Lake

Peller,

Tabor,

Davis

et al. 2023

Water

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“…Fine plastic particles, added in the form of microbeads to cosmetics (e.g. toothpaste, scrubs, shampoos, eye shadows) and cleaning agents, account for only 2% of all virgin MP (Boucher & Friot 2017, Fiore et al 2022, Zhou et al 2023.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the content of microplastics and other extraneous particles in Polish bottled water

Aleksander-Kwaterczak,

Gaj,

Stelmach

et al. 2023

geol

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Bottled water has enjoyed a global increase in popularity since it is generally perceived to be superior in quality to tap water and necessary when tap water is non-potable. As a result, ensuring that it meets the requisite quality standards is of vital importance. This work aims to examine the content of solid particles, including microplastics, in bottled water available in Polish stores. The second aspect is the preliminary determination of the influence of the water gassing process, together with thermal and light factors, on the content of particles in the water. The number of particles was counted by colour and shape, with the number ranging from 87 to 188 per litre of water; on average, there were 136 ±32 particles per litre of water, demonstrating that water from disposable plastic bottles is contaminated with various substances. The difference in the number of particles may be due to the origin of the waters, the processes they were subjected to prior to bottling, the properties of the bottles as packaging, and the conditions and length of storage and transport. Additional Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis confirmed that about 75% of the particles were polymers, and 50% of them were plastics. Particularly alarming is the fact that the bottled waters mostly contained microplastic particles (MP) of smaller sizes, the kind which is recognized as being the most dangerous to human health. In the study, most particles were in the form of irregular shapes, which may indicate that they come from the destruction of waste or plastic products. This is also indicated by the domination of colourless particles. More particles were found in waters exposed to high and low temperatures than in waters stored at room temperature, potentially indicating that storage conditions for drinking water are important. Taking into account the results obtained, increasing attention should be paid to the health risks posed by such microplastics and there is a clear need to introduce legal regulations on the matter. The lack of any legal guidelines or unified standards in the field of MP research means that the results are not always representative, and it also makes it difficult to compare the results from different studies.

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“…MPs are a new global environmental pollutant, widely distributed in oceans, rivers, lakes, sediments, soils, and other environmental media (Fiore et al 2022, Hu et al 2021, Shen et al 2018, and are even found in polar areas (Bergmann et al 2019, Ding et al 2023. MPs have also entered the food chain (Wang et al 2021a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adsorption properties and mechanism of Cu(Ⅱ) on virgin and aged microplastics in the aquatic environment

Hu,

Xiao,

Jiang

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Microplastics (MPs) bind to heavy metals in the aquatic environment and move into groups as carriers. They are prone to aging due to UV irradiation, which affects their adsorbability and mechanisms. The physicochemical properties Polyamide ( PA ) and polylactic acid ( PLA ) MPs were characterized. The impact and mechanism of UV aging on the adsorption of typical Cu(II) contaminants by MPs were investigated. The findings demonstrated that UV aging increased the specific surface area (SBET) and amount of oxygen-functional groups, decreased crystallinity, and generated pits on superficies of the MPs. Before and after aging, the adsorption behavior of the MPs on Cu(II) complied with the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm models. The primary adsorption processes, which were predominantly single-layer chemical reactions, were liquid-film and intra-particle diffusion. Compared to virgin MPs, the aged MPs had a higher adsorbability, which was primarily explained by the electrostatic attraction and complexation of the oxygen-functional groups with Cu(II). Cu(Ⅱ) adsorption by MPs was significantly affected by pH and salinity. At pH 5, the maximum adsorbability was noted, and increasing salinity reduced the MPs' ability to bind Cu(II). The equilibrium Cu(Ⅱ) adsorbability and MPs dosage were negatively correlated. These findings provide a scientific foundation for ecological environment risk assessment when MPs coexist with heavy metals.

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Tackling Marine Microplastics Pollution: an Overview of Existing Solutions

Cited by 22 publications

References 77 publications

Distribution and Fate of Polyethylene Microplastics Released by a Portable Toilet Manufacturer into a Freshwater Wetland and Lake

Distribution and Fate of Polyethylene Microplastics Released by a Portable Toilet Manufacturer into a Freshwater Wetland and Lake

Investigating the content of microplastics and other extraneous particles in Polish bottled water

Adsorption properties and mechanism of Cu(Ⅱ) on virgin and aged microplastics in the aquatic environment

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