Determination of nano and microplastic particles in hypersaline lakes by multiple methods

Sources, concentrations, distributions, fluxes and fate of microplastics in a hypersaline lake: Maharloo, south-west Iran

“…In an environment as saline as Maharloo Lake, the accumulation of a range of MP types (and densities) in the sediment requires mechanisms other than inherent settlement through the water column. Aggregation with denser particulates or packaging in faecal matter of plastic-ingesting organisms such as the brine shrimp (Artemia parthenogenetica) may accelerate the settlement and deposition of some MPs (Hafezieh, 2003;Pashaei et al, 2021). However, the more general deposition is likely to proceed via the nucleation of and the encapsulation with salts that are supersaturated in the lake, and in particular during late summer when insolation is high and rainfall low (Pashaei et al, 2021).…”

“…To this end, surface aquatic systems appear to have received the most attention, and in particular oceans, rivers, lakes, estuaries and the coastal zone (Rezania et al, 2018;Akdogan and Guven, 2019;Fu et al, 2020;Manbohi et al 2021). One type of aquatic system that has received very little study, however, is coastal and inland hypersaline environments (Pashaei et al, 2021;Quesadas-Rojas et al, 2021).…”

“…For example, it is hypothesized that the high density of hypersaline water allows a greater range of polymers to be suspended and dispersed, while seasonal, evaporative loss of water means that hypersaline environments are predicted to be net accumulators of MPs. In a recent study, Pashaei et al (2021) determined the concentrations and visible characteristics of MPs in a limited number of samples from Urmia Lake, north-west Iran, and its tributary rivers, with one of the principal objectives centred around the testing of different methods for MP detection. The authors found that the main source of MPs to the lake was from rivers and that the lake itself acted as a sink of MPs through both physical and biological processes.…”

When microplastics meet electroanalysis: future analytical trends for an emerging threat

“…97–99 Fortunately, a wide range of MPs can be potentially identified by analysing the pyrolytic decomposition products of MPs with TGA coupled to FTIR (TGA-FTIR), gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) (TGA-GC/MS), MS (TGA-MS), or oxygen sensors (microscale combustion calorimetry or MCC). 100–103…”

“…[97][98][99] Fortunately, a wide range of MPs can be potentially identied by analysing the pyrolytic decomposition products of MPs with TGA coupled to FTIR (TGA-FTIR), gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) (TGA-GC/MS), MS (TGA-MS), or oxygen sensors (microscale combustion calorimetry or MCC). [100][101][102][103] TGA-FTIR was considered as a robust but restricted method for the identication of MPs. PET-specic signals are barely detected since the interfering signals from the environmental matrix always overlap.…”