Maritime pollution in the Indian Ocean after the MV X-Press Pearl accident

Perera, U.L.H.P.; Subasinghe, H.C.S.; Ratnayake, Amila Sandaruwan; Weerasingha, W. A. D. B.; Wijewardhana, T.D.U.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114301

Cited by 22 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The X-Press Pearl incident released over 1680 tons of plastic nurdles, one of the biggest nurdle pollution events in the Indian Ocean near the Sri Lankan coastline [25]. Here, several phenomena influenced the dispersed distribution of MP over the coast of Sri Lanka, such as; monsoons, tidal, wind, wave, thermohaline gradients, and an upwelling pattern in the southern sea and activities of Hambantota and…”

Section: Mp Pollution In Sri Lankamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There has been attention given to MP pollution and its effect by the National Aquatic Resources Development Agency (NARA) and the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka, even though the MP pollution was widely discussed after the X-Press Pearl accident followed by the massive disaster in May 2021 [23,24]. The X-Press Pearl cargo ship in May 2021 on the west coast of Sri Lanka spilled nearly 1680 tons of MP and nurdles, drawing the attention of authorities and researchers to investigate more about MP pollution [25]. Considering the ubiquitousness of MP across different landforms and sources, and the multifaceted nature of the problem, it needs a national or regional level policy intervention for risk mitigation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Present Status of Microplastic Pollution Research Data in Sri Lanka and Microplastic Risk Mitigation Solutions; Lessons from a Global Policy Context

M.M.J.G.C.N. Jayasiri,

Pradeep Gajanayake,

Sajani H. Kolambage

et al. 2024

Adv. Technol.

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The emergence of microplastics (MP) as a pollutant in natural environments including aquatics has been increasingly recognized worldwide. This review focuses on the status of MP pollution research in Sri Lanka, and MP risk mitigation solutions, as lessons from a global MP policy context. The methodology involves a comprehensive literature review divided into three main sections: 1) a simple understanding of the plastic cycle and risk factors,2) a comprehensive review of MP pollution research trends in Sri Lanka, 3) a comprehension of global trends of MP regulation policies and adaptable solutions for national scale. There was less attention given to MP research in Sri Lanka, until the recent X-Press Pearl disastrous incident. In addition to that, we highlight the less attention paid to MP pollution in inland waters and lands compared to marine. Considering the widespread MP issue, the paper highlights the importance of a policy approach for MP pollution control. Finally, the paper discusses the future directions for MP pollution research in Sri Lanka and emphasizes the need for more detailed quantitative data for effective policy formulation. The overall study presents a sound case for understanding a national context in MP pollution and suggesting necessary policy instruments in pollution regulation.

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Section: Mp Pollution In Sri Lankamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Present Status of Microplastic Pollution Research Data in Sri Lanka and Microplastic Risk Mitigation Solutions; Lessons from a Global Policy Context

M.M.J.G.C.N. Jayasiri,

Pradeep Gajanayake,

Sajani H. Kolambage

et al. 2024

Adv. Technol.

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“…Five days after the fire began, an estimated 70 billion nurdles (∼1680 tons) and pieces of burnt plastic began to litter the Sri Lankan coastline, making it the largest maritime plastic spill in history. , During the event, the plastic was exposed to combustion, heat, chemicals, and petroleum products that led to what was initially described as a “burnt nurdle continuum” of debris . Subsequent analyses by James et al and others − revealed that the plastic was more discontinuous in its appearance than initially thought, diverging in its properties depending on the extent of its presumed exposure to the conditions of the ship fire . Hence, we sorted the recovered plastic into five discrete, operationally defined visual categories (i) seemingly unburnt white nurdles (Figure A), (ii) discolored orange nurdles resulting from prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures near or below the melting point (Figure B), (iii) discolored gray nurdles resulting from exposure to fire (Figure C), (iv) burnt plastic pieces (Figure D), or (v) large (>6 cm) charred, amalgamations of burnt plastic termed “combustion remnants” (Figure E).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire and Oil Led to Complex Mixtures of PAHs on Burnt and Unburnt Plastic during the M/V X-Press Pearl Disaster

et al. 2023

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In May 2021, the M/V X-Press Pearl container ship burned for 2 weeks, leading to the largest maritime spill of resin pellets (nurdles). The disaster was exacerbated by the leakage of other cargo and the ship's underway fuel. This disaster affords the unique opportunity to study a time-stamped, geolocated release of plastic under real-world conditions. Field samples collected from beaches in Sri Lanka nearest to the ship comprised nurdles exposed to heat and combustion, burnt plastic pieces (pyroplastic), and oil-plastic agglomerates (petroplastic). An unresolved question is whether the 1600+ tons of spilled and recovered plastic should be considered hazardous waste. Due to the known formation and toxicity of combustion-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), we measured 20 parent and 21 alkylated PAHs associated with several types of spilled plastic. The maximum PAH content of the sampled pyroplastic had the greatest amount of PAHs recorded for marine plastic debris (199,000 ng/g). In contrast, the sampled unburnt white nurdles had two orders of magnitude less PAH content. The PAH composition varied between the types of spilled plastic and presented features typical of and conflicting with petrogenic and pyrogenic sources. Nevertheless, specific markers and compositional changes for burning plastics were identified, revealing that the fire was the main source of PAHs. Eight months after the spill, the PAH contents of sampled stray nurdles and pyroplastic were reduced by more than 50%. Due to their PAH content exceeding levels allowable for plastic consumer goods, classifying burnt plastic as hazardous waste may be warranted. Following a largely successful cleanup, we recommend that the Sri Lankans re-evaluate the identification, handling, and disposal of the plastic debris collected from beaches and the potential exposure of responders and the public to PAHs from handling it. The maritime disaster underscores pyroplastic as a type of plastic pollution that has yet to be fully explored, despite the pervasiveness of intentional and unintentional burning of plastic globally.

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“…The management of MSW is a severe problem in Sri Lanka as well; it was estimated that 7000 tons of solid waste were produced daily, with 60% coming from the heavily populated western area (CEJ, 2021). Meanwhile, sudden catastrophic activities such as the MV X‐Press Pearl accident have added more waste to Sri Lanka (Perera et al., 2022; Ratnayake & Perera, 2022). According to estimates, 4.8 billion of waste is collected annually from the country, and dumping waste in open lands is the most prevalent technique (Bandara, 2011; Dharmasiri, 2020; Iqbal et al., 2022; Rupasinghe & Pieris, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Annual fluctuation of gas concentration within the landfill surface layer in a tropical climate: A case study of a municipal wasteyard

Herath,

Buddhima,

Gunathilake

et al. 2023

Environmental Quality Mgmt

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This study looks at the annual variations in landfill gas concentrations within the surface layer of the dump as well as the effect of climatic factors on these variations under the tropical climate. The experiment was carried out at part of the Karadiyana landfill, Sri Lanka, containing old mixed municipal solid waste covered by vegetation. The gas concentrations of the landfill surface layer were measured from three gas wells established on the dump surface layer, which contains 2.5 m depth, throughout the year with the measuring of climatic factors. The results show the annual fluctuation of temperature, cumulative rainfall, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure were 27–42°C, 66.7–357.7 mm, 24.7%–78.2%, and 999.5–1014 mbar around the studied landfill area, and the average concentration value of the CH4, NH3, H2S, and VOCs gases were 18.94 ± 11.49%, 15.48 ± 15.17 mg m−3, 15.06 ± 19.02 mg m−3, and 0.83 ± 0.99 mg m−3, respectively. The rainfall and atmospheric temperature were significant metrological factors influencing the surface layer gas concentrations and showed a significant positive correlation with cumulative rainfall and a negative correlation with atmospheric temperature. The relative humidity shows a moderate positive correlation, and there was no evidence of a considerable impact of atmospheric pressure on the surface layer concentrations. Annual fluctuation is a critical factor for landfill gas emission quantification, and surface layer concentration variation can be used to study the emission fluctuation by considering their relationship.

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Maritime pollution in the Indian Ocean after the MV X-Press Pearl accident

Cited by 22 publications

References 39 publications

Present Status of Microplastic Pollution Research Data in Sri Lanka and Microplastic Risk Mitigation Solutions; Lessons from a Global Policy Context

Present Status of Microplastic Pollution Research Data in Sri Lanka and Microplastic Risk Mitigation Solutions; Lessons from a Global Policy Context

Fire and Oil Led to Complex Mixtures of PAHs on Burnt and Unburnt Plastic during the M/V X-Press Pearl Disaster

Annual fluctuation of gas concentration within the landfill surface layer in a tropical climate: A case study of a municipal wasteyard

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