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Far More than Meets the Eye: Microplastics Pollution from Terrestrial to Marine Environment and Its Risks

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 6097

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chunfang Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, China
Interests: investigation of microplastics and their ecological environmental effects; bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants; microbial reductive dehalogenation
Prof. Dr. Licheng Peng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: coastal environmental pollution and control (such as microplastic pollution); water pollution control; utilization of microalgae resources; aquaculture wastewater treatment
Dr. Dongdong Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China
Interests: microplastic contamination; effects of microplastics to microbial metabolisms; microbial bioremediation of persistent organic pollutants; bioelectrochemical systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plastic pollution has dramatically increased over the past few decades due to its application in many different fields, as well as its persistent and refractory properties. Every year tons of plastic waste enter the marine environment from the land through surface runoff and other means, causing serious threats to the marine ecological environment. Although extensive studies have been carried out to investigate the abundance and distribution of microplastics in various environments, there is still a large knowledge gap involving the influence of microplastics on the functioning of the environmental ecosystem and the biogeochemical cycle of elements. For example, microplastics not only contain toxic additives, but also carry harmful pollutants or biological pathogens, posing a potential threat to the ecological environment. Furthermore, as the number of microplastics entering the environment increases, the impact on organisms will accelerate accordingly. Therefore, further study of the distribution of microplastics and its risks for the terrestrial/marine organisms, as well as investigations into the potential mechanisms and the scale of such effects, is urgently needed.

The Special Issue of the journal Sustainability, “Far More than Meets the Eye: Microplastics Pollution from Terrestrial to Marine Environment and Its Risks”, seeks original contributions in the field of all bio-geoscience disciplines concerned with microplastics studies, from investigation, detection methods, ecological risk evaluation, environmental impact, and/or toxicology. In particular, the following aspects are encouraged:

1) Distribution of microplastics from both terrestrial and marine environments, preferably the ones with substantial sampling sizes, e.g., a large quantity of water/sediment samples, over dozens of sampling sites;

2) The fate of microplastics in the terrestrial/marine environment;

3) The toxicological effects and environmental impact of microplastics on terrestrial/marine organisms, e.g., microbial communities, plants, and animals.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Chunfang Zhang
Prof. Dr. Licheng Peng
Dr. Dongdong Zhang
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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • microplastics
  • terrestrial and marine environment
  • distribution
  • transportation
  • environmental fate
  • biofilm formation
  • toxicological effects

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 2758 KiB  
Article
Comparative Assessment of Microplastics in Surface Water and Sediments of Meishe River, Haikou, China
by Shaobai Wen, Chunwei Yu, Fang Lin and Xiaoping Diao
Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13099; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013099 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2066
Abstract
Meishe River is the longest urban river in Haikou. The level of microplastics pollution in this river may affect the ecological balance, and can have an adverse effect on human health. Thus, it is essential to gain a comprehensive understanding of the microplastics [...] Read more.
Meishe River is the longest urban river in Haikou. The level of microplastics pollution in this river may affect the ecological balance, and can have an adverse effect on human health. Thus, it is essential to gain a comprehensive understanding of the microplastics pollution in the river to ensure safety of the human living environment. Microscopic examination and Micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (μ-FTIR) were used to investigate the distribution and characteristics of microplastic pollution in surface water and sediments of the Meishe River. The results revealed that microplastics extracted from Meishe River mainly consisted of polyethylene (PE) and poly octadecyl acrylate (POA), and the abundance of microplastics in the surface water and sediments lay in the range of 3–10 items/L and 61–205 items/100 g dry weight, respectively. With respect to shapes and colors of microplastics, among the micro plastics found in the surface water, 74% were fiber and 57% were white colored, while among those in the sediments, 88% were fiber and 55% were of white colored. In terms of particle size, microplastics with the particle size of 0.1–0.5 mm were the most abundant (49% approximately) in surface water, while the microplastics with particle size 1.0–5.0 mm were dominant (74%) in the sediments. The results clearly showed that the Meishe River was polluted by microplastics, which may eventually flow into the nearby sea and adversely affect the sea environment. Consequently, some organisms in the urban river may be adversely affected. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Far More than Meets the Eye: Microplastics Pollution from Terrestrial to Marine Environment and Its Risks)
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Review

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23 pages, 2787 KiB  
Review
An Overview of Micro(Nano)Plastics in the Environment: Sampling, Identification, Risk Assessment and Control
by Licheng Peng, Tariq Mehmood, Ruiqi Bao, Zezheng Wang and Dongdong Fu
Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14338; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114338 - 2 Nov 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3245
Abstract
Advances in urban infrastructure, a flourishing polymer sector, and more traffic have all contributed to a rise in micro(nano)plastics in the environment. Researchers are exploring the production, fate, toxicity threshold, and severity of micro(nano)plastic exposure. Albeit, understanding sampling protocols, preservation of samples, and [...] Read more.
Advances in urban infrastructure, a flourishing polymer sector, and more traffic have all contributed to a rise in micro(nano)plastics in the environment. Researchers are exploring the production, fate, toxicity threshold, and severity of micro(nano)plastic exposure. Albeit, understanding sampling protocols, preservation of samples, and characterization of micro(nano)plastics obtained from the different mediums (e.g., soil, water, air, and living bodies) is still challenging. Particularly identification of micro(nano)plastics, on the other hand, is restricted and limited to the typical generic definition of contaminating sources. In addition, before micro(nano)plastics degrade naturally, many challenges must be overcome, enhancing the need for research on assisted degradation. Thus, a systematic review is presented, which begins by discussing micro(nano)plastic identification, sampling, and handling; then showcases the environmental and health consequences and how to control them; finally, it discusses environmental micro(nano)plastics management options. According to studies, biological and chemical methods to break down micro(nano)plastics have risen in popularity. However, these methods often only cover one type of plastic. Furthermore, these solutions can transform polymers into micro(nano)plastics and may also produce byproducts, increasing environmental contamination risk. Therefore, control, prevention, and management strategies are all investigated to generate more realistic and long-term solutions. The literature suggests a combination of different microorganisms (e.g., different bacterial species) and different approaches (e.g., filtration with degradation) could be more effective in the treatment of micro(nano)plastics. Furthermore, according to the literature, relevant health risks associated with micro(nano)plastics to humans from various exposure routes are currently unclear. Likewise, standardization of methods supported with sophisticated state-of-the-art apparatus for detecting micro(nano)plastics is required. Overall, precision in micro(nano)plastic identification and treatment strategy selection is critical, and their usage should be regulated if their environmental behavior is not properly addressed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Far More than Meets the Eye: Microplastics Pollution from Terrestrial to Marine Environment and Its Risks)
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