Learning from natural sediments to tackle microplastics challenges: A multidisciplinary perspective

Waldschläger, Kryss; Brückner, Muriel; Almroth, Bethanie Carney; Hackney, Christopher; Adyel, Tanveer M.; Alimi, S. Olubukola; Belontz, Sara L.; Cowger, Win; Doyle, Darragh; Gray, Andrew B.; Kane, Ian A.; Kooi, Merel; Kramer, Matthias; Lechthaler, Simone; Michie, Laura A; Nordam, Tor; Pohl, Florian; Russell, Catherine; Thit, Amalie; Umar, Wajid; Valero, Daniel; Varrani, Arianna; Warrier, Anish Kumar; Woodall, C. Lucy; Wu, Nan

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104021

Cited by 75 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 292 publications

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“…MPs of seven materials were selected based on previous studies on MP abundance in aquatic environments, 11,27 including ABS, PA, PC, PET, PMMA, POM, and PVC. The MPs were uniform in size for each type with particle masses = 0.01−0.09 g, particle densities ρ p = 1.040−1.410 g/cm 3 , and nominal diameters, D n = 2.5−5.3 mm. A detailed summary of the MP particle information is in Table 1.…”

Section: Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent studies have shown that microplastic (MP) pollution is ubiquitous in aquatic environments (Ballent et al, 2012). The abundance, adverse impacts, and removal of microplastics (MPs, ≲5 mm) have been or are being investigated extensively. , However, studies of the transport of MPs in freshwater and oceans, especially the incipient motion (the initiation of movement) of MPs, are quite limited . To further understand the transport and fate of MPs and guide their pollution control, it is important to understand the mechanism of incipient motion for MPs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1,2 However, studies of the transport of MPs in freshwater and oceans, especially the incipient motion (the initiation of movement) of MPs, are quite limited. 3 To further understand the transport and fate of MPs and guide their pollution control, 4 it is important to understand the mechanism of incipient motion for MPs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Incipient Motion of Exposed Microplastics in an Open-Channel Flow

Yao

Loewen

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The incipient motion threshold of microplastics (MPs), defined as the condition that is just sufficient to initiate MP movement, is key to assessing the transport and fate of MPs in water bodies, yet only a few studies have focused on its prediction. This study experimentally investigated the effects of bed roughness (smooth and rough beds) and MP properties (shapes, sizes, and densities) on the incipient velocity (U i ) and critical shear stress (τ c ) of exposed MPs in an open-channel flow. For a total of 19 types of MPs, U i and τ c were found to range from 0.06 to 0.21 m/s and 0.01 to 0.075 N/m 2 , respectively. The commonly used thresholds for sediment transport, for example, critical shield parameter Θ c and movability number Λ c , were established for MPs based on τ c . Based on the experimental data of the literature and this study, it was found that predictions of Θ c and Λ c for sediments do not apply to MPs. A new explicit formula for Λ c was proposed for predicting the incipient motion of MPs by introducing the dimensionless particle diameter (d * ) and a new dimensionless parameter related to the particle size, density, and shape. The new formula has an absolute error of 12.3%, which is smaller than the existing formula for MPs (55.6%).

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Section: Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Incipient Motion of Exposed Microplastics in an Open-Channel Flow

Yao

Loewen

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…For detection, pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py–GC–MS) is a sensitive method class, but the presence of similar or identical compounds such as benzene, toluene, or styrene creates interferences and leads to false-positive results. , Other detection methods, such as Raman, FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and fluorescent spectrometry, are more susceptible to interference from impurities than Py–GC–MS. For instance, in addition to the high cost, SEM cannot accurately distinguish various NMPs. , Therefore, a more efficient, selective, and widely applicable pretreatment method is indispensable for the reliable detection of NMPs in complex environmental matrices like soil or organic matter …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…28,29 Therefore, a more efficient, selective, and widely applicable pretreatment method is indispensable for the reliable detection of NMPs in complex environmental matrices like soil or organic matter. 30 Density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU) is an effective approach for the density-based separation of nanosized materials and is commonly used in material science and biosciences. 31−33 By adjusting the concentration and volume of the medium solution for different layers, DGU can achieve a high-density resolution to separate and identify each particle in a mixture, e.g., separation of carbon nanotubes, graphene, and nanometallic particles.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-Destructive Extraction and Separation of Nano- and Microplastics from Environmental Samples by Density Gradient Ultracentrifugation

et al. 2022

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Nano-/microplastics (NMPs, particle diameter < 5 mm) are widespread emerging pollutants causing diverse impacts on organisms due to their sizes, shapes, and chemical properties. Despite the fast increase in NMP research, an effective method to separate and identify NMP types from environmental samples is still lacking. Here, we developed a simple and effective approach for the non-destructive extraction and separation of various types of NMPs from environmental samples by density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU). For the first time, DGU was capable to separate various NMPs from the complex matrix with high selectivity (100%), purity (93%), and applicability. Through a gradually changing density of the density gradient medium by changing the concentrations or volumes of CsCl/water solution (from 0.00065 to 0.01989 g cm–3 mm–1), various NMPs (with particle sizes as little as 50 nm) could be extracted and separated from soil samples with high recovery (78.5–96.0%). We confirmed the effectiveness and compatibility of DGU through a correct identification of all types of NMPs separated from artificial soil samples with Raman spectroscopy, simultaneous thermal analysis (STA), and pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py–GC–MS). DGU is compatible with all analytical processes compared to other existing methods with much less sample pretreatment time (0.5 h). Overall, DGU is an effective and cheap method (2.2 USD/sample) to separate NMPs from environmental samples such as soil and water and, hence, can facilitate research on NMPs related to terrestrial and marine environments as well as human health.

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