Method for Quantifying and Characterization of Microplastics in Sand Beaches (original) (raw)
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Quantification and characterization of microplastics on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2022
The contamination of the environment by plastic waste is one of the main environmental problems today. During their permanence in the environment, plastics are susceptible to different forms of degradation, which can lead to the generation of microplastics. In the environment, these particles can be involuntarily ingested by organisms and can cause several effects. In this context, the goal of this work was to quantify and characterize the microplastics present on a beach on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil to understand the dimension of plastic contamination. The sampling was carried out on a beach in the city of Torres. There, sand was collected in 10 sampling sites and was sent to the laboratory for the separation of the microplastics from the sediments. This step consisted of preparing a saturated saline solution by dissolving table salt in distilled water. With the addition of the sand samples, the solution was mechanically stirred and then rested. Subsequently, the solution supernatant was filtered and the content present in the filters was subjected to the chemical digestion. The process used to digest the organic contaminants was the Fenton reaction. After the reaction, the filtered particles were analyzed on a stereoscope, where some microplastics were identified and by µRaman analysis, where it was possible to identify the types of polymers. The filter residue was exposed to the Nile Red fluorophore and analyzed by fluorescence microscopy for the quantification of microplastics. Among the sand samples collected on the beach, an average of 51.2 microplastics were quantified in each sample, representing a contamination of more than 500 microplastics for every kilogram of sand. The main polymers identified were: polyethylene (25%), polypropylene (15%) and polyamide (10%).
Environmental Science & Technology, 2012
This review of 68 studies compares the methodologies used for the identification and quantification of microplastics from the marine environment. Three main sampling strategies were identified: selective, volume-reduced, and bulk sampling. Most sediment samples came from sandy beaches at the high tide line, and most seawater samples were taken at the sea surface using neuston nets. Four steps were distinguished during sample processing: density separation, filtration, sieving, and visual sorting of microplastics. Visual sorting was one of the most commonly used methods for the identification of microplastics (using type, shape, degradation stage, and color as criteria). Chemical and physical characteristics (e.g., specific density) were also used. The most reliable method to identify the chemical composition of microplastics is by infrared spectroscopy. Most studies reported that plastic fragments were polyethylene and polypropylene polymers. Units commonly used for abundance estimates are "items per m 2 " for sediment and sea surface studies and "items per m 3 " for water column studies. Mesh size of sieves and filters used during sampling or sample processing influence abundance estimates. Most studies reported two main size ranges of microplastics: (i) 500 μm−5 mm, which are retained by a 500 μm sieve/net, and (ii) 1−500 μm, or fractions thereof that are retained on filters. We recommend that future programs of monitoring continue to distinguish these size fractions, but we suggest standardized sampling procedures which allow the spatiotemporal comparison of microplastic abundance across marine environments.
Study of Marine Microplastics on the Coast of Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain
conducted a study on marine microplastics present in the seawater along the coast of Tarragona, specifically in the towns of l'Ampolla and Altafulla, as well as in the sand of Altafulla beach. The study involved collecting water samples using the passive filtering prototype SB-Buoy, analyzing them in the laboratory, and manually sieving the beach sand. The concentrations observed varied considerably depending on the sampling locations and periods. The present results indicate that small microplastics dominate the samples from seawater (Ø < 3mm). In the case of sand, plastic pellets accounted for 52% of the anthropogenic waste by weight in the sampling area.
First full investigation of levels of microplastics on sandy beaches in Malta
2017
This paper will report on the first full investigations on the level of occurrence and qualitative/quantitative profiles of microplastics, MP, (1-5mm) in a number of saudy beaches in Malta, (Central MeditelTanean). Five popular beaches were investigated, including Ghadira Bay, Golden Bay, St. George's Bay, Ghajn Tuftieha Bay and Pretty Bay. Samples for all bays were collected in August 2015, while further detailed sampling was calTied out for the last two bays in summer and in winter of2016. Sampling protocol was adopted from Galgani er aI., (2013). For all locations, samples were collected from strandline and then at 10m up shore at surfuce (top Scm). For Gnajn 664 ME.DCOAST 17 Tuffieha and Pretty Bay, samples were also collected from a 40cm depth. MP were extracted from sand through wet sieving, and then sorted and characterized according to size, colour, shape, and polymer type. Several parameters including degree of sea exposure and sand properties were reeorded. Full beach profiles for all locations are available. Identification of polymer type was carried out by means of qualitative density tests. In summer of 2015, the highest levels of MP were reported ill Pretty Bay at 10.81 itemsllO,OOcm o of wet sand with the lowest being in Ghajn Tuffiet1., at 0.72 items/lOOO em'. In general, levels ofMP in the dlY season were found to be higher than those recorded in the wet season (winter), Higher MP concentration was recorded at 10 m up-shore as opposed to the strandline. Furthermore, surface sands comained a higher concentration ofrvIP when corr:.pared with the sEbsurface sediments: though this was not was no! the case at Pretty Bay in winter. These results are interpreted in terms of different beach profiles, beach dynamics, sand propel1ies and potential sources ofl'vlP. The local level of occurrence of !viP seems to be lower when compared to other European locations studied so far. The fact that in this study, MP below Irnm were not included in the data, as well as the lack of rivers in the Maltese isimlds, regular beach clean ups and other factors may explain this. Data on the characterisation of !viP found are provided. For example, polyethylene and polypropylene were the most common polymers recorded at Gnajn Tuftleha Bay whereas polyethylene and paint fragments were the most common 'MP recorded at Pretty Bay, This investigation is a contribution to our knowledge of how levels of !vIP in sandy beaches may be affected by sand propel1ies and dynamics, beach profiles and other factors.
Pollution of Beach Sand from Selected Recreational Reservoirs by Microplastics
Civil and Environmental Engineering Reports
The presence of microplastics have been ubiquitously confirmed in aquatic environment possessing the potential risk to the health of ecosystem. Most studies concerning microplastics are focused on water bodies, but it is considered that sediments and sands from the beaches may to be a long-term sink for microplastics. High concentrations of microplastics have been found in sand beach in Europe and all over the world. In the present studies samples of beach sand originating from three beaches of recreational reservoirs in Southern Poland (Silesian Voivodship) were analysed. Preliminary screening tests were done to evaluate the degree of microplastics pollution of the selected sandy beaches. Samples were taken once from three places on the beaches of each reservoir. Beach sections parallel to the waterline were selected at each study at the swash zone – about 1 m above the waterline. Previously, no studies were done on the presence of microplastics in these beaches. The samples taken ...
Water
Currently, there is a lack of assessment of the level of microplastics (MPs) pollution on recreational beaches around the world. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the current state of MP pollution on two popular recreational beaches of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, namely, (1) Tanjung Aru Beach and (2) UMS ODEC (Outdoor Development Center) beach. MPs from the sediments were extracted using the density separation method and analyzed through a stereoscopic microscope. The overall MPs abundance, weight, size, colors, and polymer types were recorded. Tanjung Aru beach recovered higher numbers of MPs particles for all stations, with 857 MPs/kg dry sediment with a total mass concentration of 57.72 g/kg, while UMS ODEC recorded 160 MPs/kg particles with a total mass concentration of 17.96 g/kg. The maximum MPs abundance was observed in the size of <1 mm with a high proportion of white/transparent coloring. Micro Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed tha...
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2017
Here we present the large-scale distribution of microplastic contamination in beach sediment 3 across Europe. Sediment samples were collected from 23 locations across 13 countries by citizen 4 scientists, and analysed using a standard operating procedure. We found significant variability in 5 the concentrations of microplastics, ranging from 72±24 to 1512±187 microplastics per kg of dry 6 sediment, with high variability within sampling locations. Three hotspots of microplastic 7 accumulation (>700 microplastics per kg of dry sediment) were found. There was limited 8 variability in the physico-chemical characteristics of the plastics across sampling locations. The 9 majority of the microplastics were fibrous, less than 1 mm in size, and blue/black in colour. In 10 addition, using Raman spectrometry we identified particles as polyester, polyethylene, and 11 polypropylene. Our research is the first large spatial-scale analysis of microplastics on European 12 beaches giving insights into the nature and extent of the microplastic challenge.
Organic pollutants in microplastics from two beaches of the Portuguese coast
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2010
Microplastics pose a threat to coastal environments due to their capacity to adsorb persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These particles (less than 5 mm in size) are potentially dangerous to marine species due to magnification risk over the food chain. Samples were collected from two Portuguese beaches and sorted in four classes to relate the adsorption capacity of pollutants with color and age. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and DDTs were analysed on pellets through gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and types of plastic were identified using Fourier transformed infra-red spectroscopy (micro-FTIR). Microplastics were mostly polyethylene and polypropylene. Regarding sizes, some fibres ranged from 1 to 5 lm in diameter and were 500 lm in length. The majority of samples collected had sizes above 200 lm. Black pellets, unlike aged pellets, had the highest concentrations of POPs except for PAHs in Fonte da Telha beach. PAHs with higher concentrations were pyrene, phenantrene, chrysene and fluoranthene. Higher concentrations of PCBs were found for congeners 18, 31, 138 and 187. Further investigation is necessary to understand the relationship between plastic degradation and adsorption for different pollutants.
Water
Data on the abundance and distribution of Anthropogenic Marine Debris (AMD) on the coastal areas of the northern Tyrrhenian coast are still scarce. The objective of this study is to characterize, in terms of size, color, morphology and polymeric nature, the Large Microplastics (LMPs), i.e., plastic objects within 1 and 5 mm, sampled on three beaches located within the coastal macro-area of the Pelagos Sanctuary, an international protected zone in the north-western Mediterranean. The beaches have similar morphological characteristics but different degrees of urbanization. LMPs were sampled seasonally for one year. The polymeric nature of a representative subsample of the collected LMPs was investigated using a portable Raman instrument, to assess the feasibility of in situ characterization. In this study, 26,486 items were sorted by typology (Expanded Polystyrene-EPS, fragments, and resin pellets), size, and for fragments and resin pellets, also by color and chemical nature. Statisti...
Microplastics Monitoring in Marine Environment
Omni-Akuatika
This review summarizes the need for future spatiotemporal comparisons of microplastic abundance across marine environment, through standardized methods for microplastic sampling and analysis in sea water, beach and seabed sediment and marine organism. Pretreatment of the sample prior to the elimination of organic matter should be done using appropriate reagents was also described. Extraction of microplastics from environmental matrices is based on the different density of targeted microplastics with saturated salt solutions (NaCl, NaI, CaCl2, ZnCl2 and lithium metatungstate). Quantification can be achieved by microscopic techniques (binocular, stereomicroscope, fluorescence microscope and scanning electron microscope) and discussion on identification methods including FTIR, Pyr-GC/MS and Raman spectroscopy will be provided. This review also endorses the importance of further study regarding the fate and impact of microplastics on marine biota and human health, especially when we ack...