Search results for "Microplastics"
showing 10 items of 38 documents
Interacting effects of simulated eutrophication, temperature increase, and microplastic exposure on Daphnia
2020
The effects of multiple stressors are difficult to separate in field studies, and their interactions may be hard to predict if studied in isolation. We studied the effects of decreasing food quality (increase in cyanobacteria from 5 to 95% simulating eutrophication), temperature increase (by 3 °C), and microplastic exposure (1% of the diet) on survival, size, reproduction, and fatty acid composition of the model freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna. We found that food quality was the major driver of Daphnia responses. When the amount of cyanobacteria increased from 5 to 95% of the diet, there was a drastic decrease in Daphnia survival (from 81 ± 15% to 24 ± 21%), juvenile size (from 1.8 ± 0.…
Nano- and microplastic analysis: Focus on their occurrence in freshwater ecosystems and remediation technologies
2019
Plastic pollution is a global problem since 2016 when its production reached 322 million tonnes, excluding fibers. Daily discharges of microplastics (MPs, defined as <5 mm in size) are estimated in the range of 50,000 up to 15 million particles, whereas no information on nanoplastic (NP, <100 nm) release is available yet. Different processes further degraded these materials producing more MPs and NPs. This review attempts to fill the void of information on the state-of-art analysis of MPs and NPs (recently identified as emerging contaminants) and provides a critical overview on modern instrumentation, newly developed workflows, and promising techniques for their characterization (Raman and …
Micro(Nano)plastic analysis: a green and sustainable perspective
2022
Within the last years aspects such as green, eco-friendly and sustainable are making their way into analytical chemistry. The field has changed with the introduction of these concepts. Information on the consumption of toxic solvents and energy is now a part of everyday life. This green analytical chemistry could be playing a pioneering role in the analysis of micro(nano)plastics in the environment. We discuss the roles of green analytical and sustainability within micro(nano) plastics determination and its possible applications. We explain its many advantages, like their function to preserve the environment and operator health or their role in the so-called eco-friendly methodologies, but …
Microplastics ingestion by the exotic fish Gambusia holbrooki in two Mediterranean coastal lagoons
2020
Gambusia holbrooki es un pequeño pez Poecílido, de origen norteamericano que fue introducido a principios del siglo XX en humedales de la Península Ibérica para el control biológico de los mosquitos. Actualmente presenta poblaciones en muchos humedales y está considerada como una de las principales especies invasoras en la península. Estos peces se alimentan principalmente de invertebrados, pero son también susceptibles de ingerir y acumular residuos de microplásticos que presentan tamaños similares al tamaño de algunas de sus presas habituales. En el presente estudio analizamos los contenidos del tracto gastrointestinal de ejemplares adultos de esta especie, procedentes de dos lagunas cost…
Spatio-temporal distribution of microplastics in a Mediterranean river catchment: The importance of wastewater as an environmental pathway.
2021
Abstract Microplastics (MPs) are considered to be ubiquitous contaminants in freshwater ecosystems, yet their sources and pathways at the river catchment scale need to be better determined. This study assessed MP (55–5000 µm) pollution in a Mediterranean river catchment (central Spain) and aimed to identify the importance of wastewater as an environmental pathway. We sampled treated and untreated wastewaters, and raw and digested sludge from five WWTPs during two seasons. River water and sediments were sampled at three locations with different anthropogenic influences during three seasons. On average, 93% (47–99%) of MPs were retained by WWTPs. Concentrations in river water and sediment ran…
Impacts of weathered microplastics on bioavailability of pollutants in Paracentrotus lividus and Danio rerio: molecular and ecotoxicological approach…
2022
Plastic materials provide countless applications in every sector of human life, from food and health preservation to textiles and electronics industry (Cole et al., 2011;Thompson et al., 2009) which is resulting in huge amount of plastic waste. Recently, it was estimated that plastics account for the 80-90% of the whole marine litter (Derraik, 2002) and over 5 trillion microscopic plastic fragments are floating on the surface of the World Oceans (Eriksen et al., 2014). The predominant form of marine plastic litter is called “Microplastics (MPs)", terminology by Thompson et al. 2004, used to indicate small plastic fragments, fibers and granules of microscopic size (1 μm to 5 mm in diameter).…
Effective Degradation of Cigarette Butts via Treatment with Old Landfill Leachates
2021
In this paper, results of feasibility study on microplastics (MPs) assessment in leachates from the Latvian solid municipal landfill Getliņi are discussed. The application of leachates for the treatment of cigarette butts (CGB) was evaluated. Methods of fluorescent microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and FTIR-microscopy were used for the identification and characterization of MPs in the leachates and analysis of CGB. Presence of the secondary MPs (e.g., degraded polyolefin mixtures) was determined in the tested landfill leachates, while cellulose acetate (CA) was not determined in these products. The leachates were tested as potential media for the thermophilic (55°C)…
Fate of microplastics in agricultural soils amended with sewage sludge: Is surface water runoff a relevant environmental pathway?
2021
Abstract Sewage sludge used as agricultural fertilizer has been identified as an important source of microplastics (MPs) to the environment. However, the fate of MPs added to agricultural soils is largely unknown. This study investigated the fate of MPs in agricultural soils amended with sewage sludge and the role of surface water runoff as a mechanism driving their transfer to aquatic ecosystems. This was assessed using three experimental plots located in a semi-arid area of Central Spain, which were planted with barley. The experimental plots received the following treatments: (1) control or no sludge application; (2) historical sludge application, five years prior to the experiment; and …
Ingestion of plastic and non-plastic microfibers by farmed gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) at different life sta…
2021
Environmental pollution by plastic particles is of major global concern, as a potential threat to aquatic organisms and ecosystems. The accumulation of microplastics in freshwater and marine environments has strong ecological implications due to their long persistence, potential toxicity, and ability to adsorb other pollutants, acting as vectors of pathogens. Nevertheless, while the number of studies on the presence of microplastics in the wild fish increased, less attention has been paid to the farmed fish species. Here, we investigated the occurrence of microparticles in the digestive tracts of Sparus aurata and Cyprinus carpio at different life stages and reared by an intensive and semi-…