Characterizing export of land-based microplastics to the estuary - Part I: Application of integrated geospatial microplastic transport models to assess tire and road wear particles in the Seine watershed

Unice, Kenneth M.; Weeber, Marc; Abramson, M.M.; Reid, R.C.D.; Gils, J.A.G. van; Markus, Arjen; Vethaak, A.D.; Panko, Julie M.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.368

Cited by 194 publications

(113 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…The simulations also accounted and below-cloud scavenging and dry deposition, assuming a particle density for TWPs of 1234 kg m −3 , which is in the middle of the densities of 945 kg m −3 for natural rubber and 1522 kg m −3 for synthetic rubber 79,80 . This density is within the reported range for microplastics (940-2400 kg m -3 ) 81 . For BWPs a higher density was assumed (2000 kg m −3 ) considering that BWP may also contain metals 20 .…”

Section: Twp Emission Calculations Based On a Co2 Ratio Method Top-dsupporting

confidence: 88%

Atmospheric Transport, a Major Pathway of Microplastics to Remote Regions

Evangeliou¹,

Grythe²,

Klimont³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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In recent years, marine, freshwater and terrestrial pollution with microplastics has been discussed extensively, whereas atmospheric microplastic transport has been largely overlooked. Here, we present the first global simulation of atmospheric transport of microplastic particles produced by road traffic (TWPs – tire wear particles and BWPs – brake wear particles), a major source that can be quantified relatively well. We find a high transport efficiency of these particles to remote regions, such as the Arctic Ocean (14%). About 34% of the emitted coarse TWPs and 30% of the emitted coarse BWPs (100 kt yr-1 and 40 kt yr-1 respectively) were deposited in the World Ocean. These amounts are of similar magnitude as the total estimated terrestrial and riverine transport of TWPs and fibres to the ocean (64 kt yr-1). Atmospheric transport of microplastics is thus an underestimated threat to global terrestrial and marine ecosystems and affects air quality on a global scale, especially considering that other large but highly uncertain emissions of microplastics to the atmosphere exist. High latitudes and the Arctic are highlighted as an important receptor of mid-latitude emissions of road microplastics, which may imply a future climatic risk, considering their affinity to absorb solar radiation and accelerate melting.

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Section: Twp Emission Calculations Based On a Co2 Ratio Method Top-dsupporting

confidence: 88%

Atmospheric Transport, a Major Pathway of Microplastics to Remote Regions

Evangeliou¹,

Grythe²,

Klimont³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Tires contain styrene-butadiene rubber (29) and natural rubber (30) ( Figure 5), two materials that as anthropogenic macromolecular compounds have started to be included in the term "plastics" [132] [138]. The study by Unice et al [132] set the wastewater treatment plant's removal efficiency of TRWP at 95%.…”

Section: Wastewater Treatment Plants and Microplasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here, also the effect of a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor as a tertiary treatment was studied. The [132], where the fraction of urban run-off directed to combined sewers was set at 75%, with rural runoff going into grassed ditches and swales. All the above was modeled to contribute to the removal of 8351 tons TRWP in 2008 out of 27,607 tons TRWP released that year (30% of the total).…”

Section: Wastewater Treatment Plants and Microplasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to their relatively high density of 1.2 -1.3 g/cm 3 [166], it is expected that TRWP would collect in the wastewater sludge. It was understood that the TRWP containing wastewater sludge would be reused on soil or incinerated [132]. TWRP are difficult to identify in samples, potentially also because of their small average size, estimated at 5 -25 μm [167].…”

Section: Wastewater Treatment Plants and Microplasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microplastics and Wastewater Treatment Plants—A Review

Habib¹,

Thiemann²,

Kendi³

2020

JWARP

115

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The emission of microplastics into nature poses a threat to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Their penetration of the food chain presents a danger to human health as well. Wastewater treatment plants can be seen as the last barrier between microplastics and the environment. This review focuses on the impact of waste treatment plants in retaining microplastics. Studies show that no wastewater treatment method leads to a complete retention of microplastics, and so wastewater treatment plants themselves are viewed as point sources for the discharge of microplastics into the aquatic environment. Problems associated with the utilization of microplastic loaded sewage sludge are also discussed in the review. Journal of Water Resource and Protection found as micropellets in cosmetic formulations and in facial cleaners and body scrubs (median size of 0.2 -0.4 mm), as microspherules in toothpastes (2 -5 μm in size), as well as in scrubbers used for air-blasting surfaces to remove paints and rust [25] and as drilling fluids in oil and gas exploration. A newer application is their use in drug delivery systems [26] [27]. In addition, synthetic polymer containing microparticles can also be released by the degradation of materials. The release of microfibers as a result of the washing of textiles has been widely reported as a source of microplastics [28] [29] [30] [31] [32]. These synthetic fibers, released by washing machines, are transported to waste water treatment plants [29] [33], where a considerable amount of them pass through the different treatment stages into the effluents due to their smaller size and enter the aquatic environment. It is estimated that around 35% of microplastics reaching the ocean are from synthetic textiles [34].Inventories of microplastics entering the environment have been attempted by organizations in different countries. A breakdown of the sources of microplastics in Sweden has been provided by Magnusson [35], which is given in detail below as an example of typical microplastic streams in developed countries. There is microplastic emission from plastic production, sandblasting material, cosmetic products, pharmaceutical drugs, textiles, road material and coatings. Using a spill factor of 0.04%, which was also used by Sundt et al. [26] for the estimation of pellet loss from the Norwegian plastic production plants, K. Magnusson et al. [35] have calculated a direct micropellet emission of 298 tons per year. In addition to that, there is loss due to the handling of plastic pellets which is set at between 0.0005% and 0.01%, adding another 12 -235 tons of microplastics emitted into the environment. These numbers were modeled on emission factors proposed by Lassen et al. [36] for the Danish production industry. However, no actual measured numbers of emissions of microplastics during production exist.The use of microplastics (e.g. of urea formaldehyde resins) in abrasive products for sandblasting has been deemed to be limited, and the use of these materials in Swedish shipyards is strictly regulated...

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“…This could be refined further when plastic footprint methodologies have gained more maturity . Recent studies (Unice et al ., 2018) on car tyres show that, in the case of the Seine watershed, 49% of road and tyre wear particles reach waterways but only around 2% reach the estuary . Results may be very different for particles of different density and mobility in freshwater systems .…”

Section: A Plastic Footprint To Inventory Plastic Leakagementioning

confidence: 99%

Review of plastic footprint methodologies: laying the foundation for the development of a standardised plastic footprint measurement tool

Boucher¹,

Dubois²,

Kounina³

et al. 2019

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Laying the foundation for the development of a standardised plastic footprint measurement tool v Foreword Our planet is drowning in plastic. Since 1950, an estimated 8,300 million tonnes of plastic were produced, and up to 12 million tonnes-the equivalent of more than one dump truck per minuteare discarded into our oceans annually. This reflects an imminent global plastic pollution crisis that will require a fundamental paradigm shift in the way we produce, use, and manage plastic. There is currently no common agreed-upon methodology to measure the extent of the plastic pollution crisis. This undermines effective and informed decision-making to successfully tackle the issue. Recognising the needs identified in the UNEA-3 resolution, this review of plastic footprint methodologies lays the foundation for the development of a standardised plastic footprint measurement tool. It also provides, for the first time, an extensive overview of all the existing plastic footprint methodologies-there are currently 19 such methodologies-along with a glossary of key terms related to plastics. Plastic is versatile, malleable, light weight and cheap. This makes it a tremendously useful material for a wide variety of applications, from plastic bags given at convenience stores and supermarkets, to high-end, space-grade equipment. That being said, plastic's durability-the culprit of its attractive yet problematic attributes-has made it an aggressive pollutant. It is systematically contaminating every corner of our ecosphere and at an alarming pace, infecting the air we breathe, the soil we live on, and the fish we eat. A stark symbol of our economic era, the plastic management crisis has now inspired a powerful momentum in global efforts to stem the tide of this out-of-control pollution problem. It is also fueling an ongoing debate on how best to solve the problem before its magnitude surpasses us. This publication is part of IUCN's Close the Plastic Tap Programme and provides a review of existing methodologies to identify the abundance and distribution, types and sources, as well as pathways and sinks of plastic pollution at different scales. According to this report, what is currently lacking is a standardised methodology to appropriately assess how much plastic is leaking into oceans and to measure how harmful this leakage is for ecosystems and human health. The report finds that most existing methodologies focus on assessment of plastic usage, waste or recycling rates. While many methodologies are being developed, there is currently no methodology for assessing impacts in a comprehensive manner that allows measurement of trade-offs between different impact categories-for example related to climate and ecosystem damage. The report also underlines the critical need to adopt a holistic, all-encompassing approach to measuring the impact of plastic pollution, one that assesses the entire value chain of plastic products and their entire life cycle. This report's conclusions lay a solid foundation for the development of a standardised a...

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Characterizing export of land-based microplastics to the estuary - Part I: Application of integrated geospatial microplastic transport models to assess tire and road wear particles in the Seine watershed

Cited by 194 publications

References 68 publications

Atmospheric Transport, a Major Pathway of Microplastics to Remote Regions

Atmospheric Transport, a Major Pathway of Microplastics to Remote Regions

Microplastics and Wastewater Treatment Plants—A Review

Review of plastic footprint methodologies: laying the foundation for the development of a standardised plastic footprint measurement tool

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