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Environments
Special Issues
Plastics Pollution in Aquatic Environments
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Plastics Pollution in Aquatic Environments

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2024) | Viewed by 3337

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Juliana Aristéia De Lima

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department: Polymer, Fibre and Composite, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Brinellgatan 4, 504 62 Borås, Sweden
Interests: microplastics; plastic degradation and fragmentation; eletronic microscopy; polymer blends; green materials
Dr. Karin Mattsson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Marine Science, University of Gothenburg, Kristineberg 566, SE-451 78 Fiskebäckskil, Lysekil, Sweden
Interests: micro- and nanoplastics; correlative microscopy; spectroscopy; plastic degradation and fragmentation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aquatic environment is known to be heavily polluted with plastics, including microplastics that are released into the environment directly from everyday-use plastic items, wastewater treatment plants, polymer degradation and industries. One of the current concerns is that when these contaminants enter the water, aquatic life may feed on them, and the microplastics may enter the food chain and cause serious health risks. However, little is known about their distribution and fate in the environment, and more research is needed to answer questions such as the following: What happens to the plastics when in the aquatic environment in relation to degradation, biodegradation and fragmentation? How does the environment affect the plastics?

Another important aspect is the plastic products from biodegradable sources that are presented as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics and a solution to marine plastic pollution. However, concern regarding bioplastics is that the use of additives could leach more effectively to the environment through microplastics.

This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts on all aspects related to studies on plastic pollution in the aquatic environment, including the fate and distribution of plastics, plastic degradation, fragmentation, biodegradation, and the production of materials that involve greater sustainability and less harm to the environment. Both research and review papers are welcome.

Dr. Juliana Aristéia De Lima
Dr. Karin Mattsson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Environments is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • degradation
  • fragmentation
  • biodegradation
  • polymer characteristics
  • micro- and nanoplastics
  • aquatic environment
  • characterisation methods
  • microscopy
  • spectroscopy
  • green materials
  • bioplastics
  • microplastics

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 13027 KiB  
Article
Detection of Microplastic Contamination in Commercial Insect Meals
by Simona Rimoldi, Jessica Ponti, Andrea Valsesia, Giulio Saroglia, Rita La Spina, Francesco Fumagalli and Genciana Terova
Environments 2024, 11(6), 112; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11060112 - 27 May 2024
Viewed by 846
Abstract
Background: Escalating global plastic production, expected to reach 34,000 million tons by 2050, poses a significant threat to human and environmental well-being, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. Microplastics (MP) and nanoplastics (NP), which originate from the degradation of plastics, are of concern due to [...] Read more.
Background: Escalating global plastic production, expected to reach 34,000 million tons by 2050, poses a significant threat to human and environmental well-being, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. Microplastics (MP) and nanoplastics (NP), which originate from the degradation of plastics, are of concern due to their potential bioaccumulation and uptake of pollutants. This study addresses identification methods and focuses on insect meal, a raw material for aquaculture feed. Methods: By using different techniques, the study was able to detect MP and NP in insect meal samples. Chemical digestion with KOH at 60 °C efficiently removed organic matter without affecting the synthetic polymer polyethylene (PE). Filtration, confocal Raman microscopy, SEM, and TEM were used for comprehensive analysis, and integrity tests on PE films were performed using Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed the presence of PE microplastic particles in the insect meal, which was confirmed by correlative Raman and SEM mapping on a positively charged surface. In addition, the increased resolution of the Raman microscope identified submicrometric PE NP (800 nm). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) confirmed plastic-like structures in the insect meal, highlighting the presence of PE plastics characterized by irregular shapes and some agglomeration. The higher carbon concentration in the EDX analysis supported the plastic nature, which was also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Conclusions: The study provides a robust method for the detection of MP and NP in insect meal and provides valuable insight into the possible presence of plastics in insect-based aquafeeds. The combination of different analytical methods increases the reliability of the results and sets the stage for future investigations that could focus on the quantification of NP and the assessment of their potential environmental impact. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastics Pollution in Aquatic Environments)
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16 pages, 2953 KiB  
Article
A Microplastic Pollution Hotspot: Elevated Levels in Sediments from the San Francisco Bay Area
by Lara Dronjak, Joaquim Rovira, Diana Lin, June-Soo Park, Sutapa Ghosal, Nora Expósito, Marta Schuhmacher and Jordi Sierra
Environments 2024, 11(5), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11050103 - 20 May 2024
Viewed by 986
Abstract
San Francisco Bay’s sediment is currently monitored for a variety of contaminants; however, data regarding the microplastics (MPs) in the area are still scarce. MPs’ occurrence in sediment samples has gained recognition as a reservoir for MP accumulation. Moreover, Bay sediment is also [...] Read more.
San Francisco Bay’s sediment is currently monitored for a variety of contaminants; however, data regarding the microplastics (MPs) in the area are still scarce. MPs’ occurrence in sediment samples has gained recognition as a reservoir for MP accumulation. Moreover, Bay sediment is also an important matrix for monitoring because sediment tends to accumulate certain contaminants and act as a source of contaminants in the Bay food web. This study analyzed MPs ranging from 25 µm to 5 mm in surface sediment grab samples (n = 8) and two sediment core samples (n = 2 cores analyzed with 11 samples from different depths). Our findings provide an evaluation of MP levels in different regions of the bay. The MP levels detected in Bay surface grab samples ranged from 2.1 to 11.9 MPs/g dry weight (n = 8), with a mean value of 6.2 MPs/g. The most abundant morphology was fibers, followed by fragments and films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastics Pollution in Aquatic Environments)
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Review

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14 pages, 1754 KiB  
Review
Micro- and Nano-Plastics Induced Release of Protein-Enriched Microbial Exopolymeric Substances (EPSs) in Marine Environments
by Wei-Chun Chin, Peter H. Santschi, Antonietta Quigg, Chen Xu, Peng Lin and Manoj Kamalanathan
Environments 2024, 11(8), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11080165 - 5 Aug 2024
Viewed by 588
Abstract
Plastics are produced, consumed, and disposed of worldwide, with more than eight million tons of plastic litter entering the ocean each year. Plastic litter accumulates in marine and terrestrial environments through a variety of pathways. Large plastic debris can be broken down into [...] Read more.
Plastics are produced, consumed, and disposed of worldwide, with more than eight million tons of plastic litter entering the ocean each year. Plastic litter accumulates in marine and terrestrial environments through a variety of pathways. Large plastic debris can be broken down into micro- and nano-plastic particles through physical/mechanical mechanisms and biologically or chemically mediated degradation. Their toxicity to aquatic organisms includes the scavenging of pollutant compounds and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Higher levels of ROS cause oxidative damages to microalgae and bacteria; this triggers the release of large amounts of exopolymeric substances (EPSs) with distinct molecular characteristics. This review will address what is known about the molecular mechanisms phytoplankton and bacteria use to regulate the fate and transport of plastic particles and identify the knowledge gaps, which should be considered in future research. In particular, the microbial communities react to plastic pollution through the production of EPSs that can reduce the plastic impacts via marine plastic snow (MPS) formation, allowing plastics to settle into sediments and facilitating their removal from the water column to lessen the plastic burden to ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastics Pollution in Aquatic Environments)
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