Distribution and characterization of microplastics in marine sediments from the Montenegrin coast

Abstract

Purpose Plastic pollution in the world has led to an abundance of microplastics (MPs) and has been identified as a potential factor that can lead to serious environmental problems, especially in oceans and seas. Information on the current status of MPs pollution along the Montenegrin coast is insufficiently investigated. This study monitors the abundance, distribution, and sources of MPs, and identifies present polymers in the surface sediment of the Montenegrin coast, as well as comparison with previous research. Materials and methods Ten sampling sites along the Montenegrin coast were selected to collect surface sediment samples. The upper layer of sediment (0–5 cm) was collected by a Petite ponar grab. The samples were dried, and density separation was performed using a NaCl solution. The abundance and morphological characteristics of MPs were determined using an optical microscope (DP-Soft software), while FT-IR analysis was done to identify the polymer type. Results and discussion Microplastics were identified in all sediment samples with an average abundance of 307 ± 133 (SD) MPs/kg in dry sediment. The highest abundance of MPs was found in locations in the vicinity of highly populated areas, near wastewater discharges, and areas with high fishing and tourist activities. The most dominant shape types of MPs in all samples were filaments and fragments. The most common colors of MPs were blue and red, while the dominant MPs sizes were 0.1–0.5 mm and 0.5–1.0 mm. Of the eight identified polymers, PP, PE, and PET were the most common. Conclusion This study reveals MPs characteristics (abundance, distribution, shape type, colors, size, polymers type) in surface sediment along the Montenegrin coast, as well as the most significant sources of MPs pollution, and provides important data for further research on MPs to identify the effects of MPs pollution on the quality, health, and functionality of the marine environment.

Investigation of the Sheltering Effects on the Mobilization of Microplastics in Open-Channel Flow

“…A small quantity of each of the three types of MPs was thoroughly mixed into a container of either 2.5 ± 0.1 or 5.0 ± 0.2 mm glass beads of density 2.57 g/cm 3 , to create six different mixtures. The average MP abundance in each mixture was 300 particles/kg, which falls within the MP abundance range of 0–500 particles/kg detected in riverbeds and is close to the average. ,,− , …”

“…In this study, flume experiments were conducted to measure τ c and U c of MPs moving on rough beds with different D 50 values compared with the previous study . Polyamide (PA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with different sizes and shapes were selected for testing, which have been commonly found in riverbeds. − A new formula for estimating τ c accounting for the sheltering effects was proposed, and the prediction accuracy was estimated by comparing it with the previous formula for predicting τ c . To better describe the sheltering effects, three factors from previous studies of sediments were introduced and used to perform momental analysis on MPs.…”

Microplastics assessment in the Krka river estuary surface water

“…Fragments (58.38%) were the dominant shape, followed by foams (14.40%), filaments (10.06%), fibers (8.28%), microbeads (3.94%), films (3.55%) and pellets (1.38%) (Figure 2.). Fragments usually originate from the breakdown of larger plastic particles (Bošković et al, 2022), fibers and filaments are usually derived from clothes, fabrics and fishing gear, microbeads from cosmetic products (Fan et al, 2021), films from packaging, bags or wrapping material and foams are probably due to the degradation of domestic packaging and pristine polystyrene (PS) foam (Fiore et al, 2022).…”

Sediment challenges and opportunities due to climate change and sustainable development

“…Bošković et al . ( 2022 ) examined microplastics in the surface sea sediments of the Montenegrin coast.…”