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The Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Sources, Distribution and Effects

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 December 2022) | Viewed by 35181

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lihui An

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
Interests: aquatic toxicology; microplastic pollution; risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Li Xu

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Guest Editor

Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
Interests: microplastic; analytical method; pollution characteristics; toxicity; heavy metals

Dr. Lixin Zhu

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
Interests: plastic; microplastic; photodegradation; dissolved organic carbon; biogeochemisty; photochemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microplastics have become a hot topic which has been attracting more and more attention. Microplastics, ranging from 1 µm to 5 mm in size, are tiny plastic particles made of synthetic polymers of different shapes and colors. Generally, microplastics come from two main sources based on their generation, that is, the primary and secondary source. These microplastics enter the aquatic environment through various pathways, including runoff, atmospheric deposition, wind, disposal, and so on. Lots of reports have shown that these particles are distributed widely in water, soil, and air in our planet, and ingested directly and indirectly by various organisms, including humans, resulting in unpredicted impacts on health. To take precautionary measures to prevent the potential ecosystem disaster and health risk caused by microplastics, it is necessary to fill in the knowledge gaps of microplastics in the environment, including the source, distribution, and impacts on organisms, which are important to address the global issue in the coming years.

Prof. Dr. Lihui An
Dr. Li Xu
Dr. Lixin Zhu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

plastic wastes
sources
fragmentation
transfer pathway
distribution
drinking water
toxicological effects
health risk

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1921 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comprehensive Comparison of Various Microplastic Sampling Methods in Sea Water: Implications for Data Compilation

by Haochen Shi, Xiaohui Wang, Lixin Zhu and Daoji Li

Water 2023, 15(6), 1035; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15061035 - 9 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2325

Abstract

The problem of plastic and microplastic (MP, <5 mm in size) pollution has received widespread attention globally, with its widespread presence being reported in various environmental media. However, a lack of standard sampling and analysis methods is making it difficult to compare data across studies and understand the source and fate of plastics and MPs. Common sampling strategies used in studies of MP in natural waters include Manta net and pump filtering using different mesh sizes, but the impact of these sampling technologies on the final MP abundance and characteristics is not well understood. This study used common sampling devices, including a Manta trawl net, shallow-water plankton pump (SPP), deep-water plankton pump (DPP), and submersible pump with on-site filtration using 50 and 330 µm aperture size meshes, to sample MP in natural coastal water. The results showed that while Manta trawl and plankton pumps produced similar MP abundance (2.0–6.0 n/m³), the MP characterization was significantly different, with fibers being the dominant MP in plankton samples (>70%) and only 14.2% in Manta trawl samples. Submersible pump sampling using a 50 µm mesh retained a higher percentage of fibers, with a two magnitude higher abundance of MPs (357 ± 119 and 553 ± 19 n/m³ for 330 µm and 50 µm mesh, respectively) attributed to the floating debris encountered during sampling and the shallower sampling depth as well as smaller sampling volume. This study highlights the key factors that impact MP abundance and characteristics as well as the challenges to harmonizing MPs sampling methods in aquatic environments, which is also helpful for data compilation across studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Sources, Distribution and Effects)

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13 pages, 1565 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evidence for Microplastics Contamination of the Remote Tributary of the Yenisei River, Siberia—The Pilot Study Results

by Yulia A. Frank, Danil S. Vorobiev, Olga A. Kayler, Egor D. Vorobiev, Ksenia S. Kulinicheva, Anton A. Trifonov and Tina Soliman Hunter

Water 2021, 13(22), 3248; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223248 - 16 Nov 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4254

Abstract

This study is a pioneering attempt to count microplastics (MPs) in the Yenisei River system to clarify the role of Siberian Rivers in the transport of MPs to the Arctic Ocean. The average MPs content in the surface water of the Yenisei large tributary, the Nizhnyaya Tunguska River, varied from 1.20 ± 0.70 to 4.53 ± 2.04 items/m³, tending to increase along the watercourse (p < 0.05). Concentrations of MPs in bottom sediments of the two rivers were 235 ± 83.0 to 543 ± 94.1 with no tendency of downstream increasing. Linear association (r = 0.952) between average organic matter content and average counts of MPs in bottom sediments occurred. Presumably MPs originated from the daily activities of the in-situ population. Further spatial-temporal studies are needed to estimate the riverine MPs fluxes into the Eurasian Arctic seas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Sources, Distribution and Effects)

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Review

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16 pages, 1196 KiB

Open AccessReview

Uncontrolled Disposal of Used Masks Resulting in Release of Microplastics and Co-Pollutants into Environment

by Changrong Zhao, Zhang Ting, Zhaoyang You, Hyunook Kim and Kinjal J. Shah

Water 2022, 14(15), 2403; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14152403 - 2 Aug 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2846

Abstract

The global panic caused by COVID-19 has continued to increase people’s demand for masks. However, due to inadequate management and disposal practice, these masks have, unfortunately, entered the environment and release a large amount of microplastics (MPs), posing a serious threat to the environment and human health. Understanding the occurrence of mask waste in various environments, release of mask-origin MPs, and related environmental risk is essential to mask-waste management in current and future epidemic prevention and control. This paper focuses on the global distribution of mask waste, the potential release of waste-origin MPs, and the impact on the environment. Specifically, the physical and chemical properties of polypropylene (the most common plastic material in a mask), which show a high adsorption capacity for heavy metals and organic pollutants and play a role as a support for microbial growth, were extensively reported. In addition, several important issues that need to be resolved are raised, which offers a direction for future research. This review focuses on the essentiality of handling masks to avoid potential environmental issues. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Sources, Distribution and Effects)

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29 pages, 5020 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review of Microplastic Distribution, Toxicity, Analysis Methods, and Removal Technologies

by Hanbai Park and Beomseok Park

Water 2021, 13(19), 2736; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13192736 - 2 Oct 2021

Cited by 46 | Viewed by 16412

Abstract

Microplastic contamination has become a problem, as plastic production has increased worldwide. Microplastics are plastics with particles of less than 5 mm and are absorbed through soil, water, atmosphere, and living organisms and finally affect human health. However, information on the distribution, toxicity, analytical methods, and removal techniques for microplastics is insufficient. For clear microplastic analytical methods and removal technologies, this article includes the following: (1) The distribution and contamination pathways of microplastics worldwide are reviewed. (2) The health effects and toxicity of microplastics were researched. (3) The sampling, pretreatment, and analytical methods of microplastics were all reviewed through various related articles. (4) The various removal techniques of microplastics were categorized by wastewater treatment process, physical treatment, chemical treatment, and biological treatment. This paper will be of great help to microplastic analysis and removal techniques. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Sources, Distribution and Effects)

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20 pages, 8961 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Effect of Physical Characteristics and Hydrodynamic Conditions on Transport and Deposition of Microplastics in Riverine Ecosystem

by Rakesh Kumar, Prabhakar Sharma, Anurag Verma, Prakash Kumar Jha, Prabhakar Singh, Pankaj Kumar Gupta, Ravish Chandra and P. V. Vara Prasad

Water 2021, 13(19), 2710; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13192710 - 30 Sep 2021

Cited by 79 | Viewed by 8200

Abstract

Microplastic disposal into riverine ecosystems is an emergent ecological hazard that mainly originated from land-based sources. This paper presents a comprehensive review on physical processes involved in microplastics transport in riverine ecosystems. Microplastic transport is governed by physical characteristics (e.g., plastic particle density, shape, and size) and hydrodynamics (e.g., laminar and turbulent flow conditions). High-density microplastics are likely to prevail near riverbeds, whereas low-density particles float over river surfaces. Microplastic transport occurs either due to gravity-driven (vertical transport) or settling (horizontal transport) in river ecosystems. Microplastics are subjected to various natural phenomena such as suspension, deposition, detachment, resuspension, and translocation during transport processes. Limited information is available on settling and rising velocities for various polymeric plastic particles. Therefore, this paper highlights how appropriately empirical transport models explain vertical and horizontal distribution of microplastic in riverine ecosystems. Microplastics interact, and thus feedback loops within the environment govern their fate, particularly as these ecosystems are under increasing biodiversity loss and climate change threat. This review provides outlines for fate and transport of microplastics in riverine ecosystems, which will help scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders in better monitoring and mitigating microplastics pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Sources, Distribution and Effects)

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