Special Issue "Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Occurrence, Distribution and Effects"

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Costanza Scopetani
E-Mail
Guest Editor
Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Ecosystems and Environment Research programme, Niemenkatu 73, Lahti; FIN-15140, University of Helsinki, Finland
Interests: analytical chemistry; environmental analysis; environmental chemistry; emerging contaminants; microplastics; nanoplastics
Dr. Tania Martellini
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, 50019 Sesto F.no - Florence, Italy
Interests: environmental chemistry; POPs (persistent organic pollutants); emerging pollutants; risk assessment of POPs; remote area; indoor air quality (IAQ); aerosol; long-range transport; distribution and fate of contaminants; source apportionment; microplastics; house dust; gas-particle partitioning; flame retardants; pesticides; GC-MS; HPLC; elementar analysis; levoglucosan and biomass burning sources
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Diana Campos
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CESAM – Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: micro (nano) plastics; ecotoxicology; aquatic ecosystems; aquatic invertebrates; multigeneration; mesocosms; food webs; biomarke

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The large production and widespread daily consumption of plastic materials, which began in the last century, coupled with often-inadequate collection and recycling systems, have made plastics and, consequently, microplastics ubiquitous pollutants.

The scientific community is increasingly showing its concern about microplastic pollution and the possible effects on the biota and environment. Aquatic ecosystems, such as rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, seem to act as major sinks for plastics and microplastics. Microplastic pollution is so widespread that we might assume no aquatic environment has been left untouched. Despite it having been more than a decade since the scientific community started to focus on microplastics, and despite a large number of peer-reviewed papers published on this research topic, there are still several gaps that need to be filled. The lack of method harmonization for sampling, treating and analyzing samples hampers the comparability of the studies conducted to date. Furthermore, microplastics’ effects on biota and humans are still poorly understood. Another important and little-investigated aspect is the distribution and potential effects on the environment of the so-called "bioplastics" or “biobased materials” that are replacing traditional plastics in some sectors but that also have critical issues.

This Toxics Special Issue welcomes any novel studies focusing on microplastics in aquatic environments, their occurrence and distribution, and the effects they might have on the environment and the biota. Research examining the sources of plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, current and future methodologies for microplastic sampling and analysis, and the ecological risks posed by microplastics are also welcome.

Dr. Costanza Scopetani
Dr. Tania Martellini
Dr. Diana Campos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microplastics
  • bioplastics
  • aquatic ecosystems
  • microplastics effect assessment
  • microplastics and risk assessment
  • microplastic methodologies
  • plastic pollution
  • analytical methods harmonization
  • quality control

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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Article
Distribution and Seasonal Variation of Microplastics in Tallo River, Makassar, Eastern Indonesia
Toxics 2021, 9(6), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9060129 - 01 Jun 2021
Viewed by 887
Abstract
Attention towards microplastic (MP) pollution in various environments is increasing, but relatively little attention has been given to the freshwater-riverine environment. As the biggest city in the eastern Indonesia region, Makassar can be a potential source of MP pollution to its riverine area. [...] Read more.
Attention towards microplastic (MP) pollution in various environments is increasing, but relatively little attention has been given to the freshwater-riverine environment. As the biggest city in the eastern Indonesia region, Makassar can be a potential source of MP pollution to its riverine area. This study aimed to determine the spatial trends, seasonal variation, and characteristics of MPs in the water and sediment of Tallo River, as the main river in Makassar. Water samples were collected using a neuston net and sediment samples were collected using a sediment corer. The samples collected contained MPs with an abundance ranging from 0.74 ± 0.46 to 3.41 ± 0.13 item/m3 and 16.67 ± 20.82 to 150 ± 36.06 item/kg for water and sediment samples, respectively. The microplastic abundance in the Tallo River was higher in the dry season and tended to increase towards the lower river segment. Fragments (47.80–86.03%) and lines (12.50–47.80%) were the predominant shapes, while blue (19.49–46.15%) and transparent (14.29–38.14%) were the most dominant color. Polyethylene and polypropylene were the common MP polymers found in the Tallo river. Actions to prevent MP pollution in the Makassar riverine area are needed before MP pollution becomes more severe in the future. Full article
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Article
Perfluoroalkylated Substances (PFAS) Associated with Microplastics in a Lake Environment
Toxics 2021, 9(5), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9050106 - 11 May 2021
Viewed by 866
Abstract
The presence of both microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is ubiquitous in the environment. The ecological impacts associated with their presence are still poorly understood, however, these contaminants are extremely persistent. Although plastic in the environment can concentrate pollutants, factors such [...] Read more.
The presence of both microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is ubiquitous in the environment. The ecological impacts associated with their presence are still poorly understood, however, these contaminants are extremely persistent. Although plastic in the environment can concentrate pollutants, factors such as the type of plastic and duration of environmental exposure as it relates to the degree of adsorption have received far less attention. To address these knowledge gaps, experiments were carried out that examined the interactions of PFAS and microplastics in the field and in a controlled environment. For field experiments, we measured the abundance of PFAS on different polymer types of microplastics that were deployed in a lake for 1 month and 3 months. Based on these results, a controlled experiment was conducted to assess the adsorption properties of microplastics in the absence of associated inorganic and organic matter. The adsorption of PFAS was much greater on the field-incubated plastic than what was observed in the laboratory with plastic and water alone, 24 to 259 times versus one-seventh to one-fourth times background levels. These results suggest that adsorption of PFAS by microplastics is greatly enhanced by the presence of inorganic and/or organic matter associated with these materials in the environment, and could present an environmental hazard for aquatic biota. Full article
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Article
Interaction between Styrofoam and Microalgae Spirulina platensis in Brackish Water System
Toxics 2021, 9(3), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9030043 - 26 Feb 2021
Viewed by 660
Abstract
Styrofoam is a thermoplastic with special characteristics; it is an efficient insulator, is extremely lightweight, absorbs trauma, is bacteria resistant, and is an ideal packaging material, compared to other thermoplastics. The aim of this study was to analyze the interaction between Styrofoam and [...] Read more.
Styrofoam is a thermoplastic with special characteristics; it is an efficient insulator, is extremely lightweight, absorbs trauma, is bacteria resistant, and is an ideal packaging material, compared to other thermoplastics. The aim of this study was to analyze the interaction between Styrofoam and S. platensis. The study examined the growth of S. platensis under Styrofoam stress, changes in Styrofoam functional groups, and their interactions. The research method was culture carried out in brackish water (12 mg/L salinity) for 30 days. S. platensis yields were tested by FTIR and SEM-EDX and Styrofoam samples by FTIR. The results showed the highest growth rate of S. platensis in cultures treated with 150 mg Styrofoam that is 0.0401 day−1. FTIR analysis shows that there has been a change in the functional group on Styrofoam. At a wavelength of 3400–3200 cm−1 corresponds to the alcohol group and there was an open cyclic chain shown by the appearance of a wavelength at 1680–1600 cm−1 assignment to alkene. SEM-EDX test results show that Styrofoam can be a resource of nutrition, especially carbon for S. platensis to photosynthesize. Increased carbon content of 24.56% occurred in culture, meanwhile, Styrofoam is able to damage S. platensis cells. Full article
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Review

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Review
Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Sources, Fates, Impacts and Microbial Degradation
Toxics 2021, 9(2), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9020041 - 22 Feb 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1270
Abstract
The serious global microplastic pollution has attracted public concern in recent years. Microplastics are widely distributed in various environments and their pollution is already ubiquitous in the ocean system, which contributes to exponential concern in the past decade and different research areas. Due [...] Read more.
The serious global microplastic pollution has attracted public concern in recent years. Microplastics are widely distributed in various environments and their pollution is already ubiquitous in the ocean system, which contributes to exponential concern in the past decade and different research areas. Due to their tiny size coupled with the various microbial communities in aquatic habitats capable of accumulating organic pollutants, abundant literature is available for assessing the negative impact of MPs on the physiology of marine organisms and eventually on the human health. This study summarizes the current literature on MPs in the marine environment to obtain a better knowledge about MP contamination. This review contains three sections: (1) sources and fates of MPs in the marine environment, (2) impacts of MPs on marine organisms, and (3) bacteria for the degradation of marine MPs. Some measures and efforts must be taken to solve the environmental problems caused by microplastics. The knowledge in this review will provide background information for marine microplastics studies and management strategies in future. Full article
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: A review on transport pathways, ecotoxicology, and interaction of microplastics with different ecosystems
Authors: Rifat Rakib
Affiliation: Noakhali Science and Technology University Noakhali, Bangladesh.
Abstract: Microplastics (MP) are regarded as pervasive pollutants in aquatic ecosystems globally. The longer residence time (due to chemically inert and slow biodegradation nature) and smaller size of MP serve as a point of exposure and a basis of food web toxicity to the freshwater and marine organisms. The ingestion and trophic transfer of MP through aquatic species have been documented meticulously in early studies. There are several controversies of previous research findings such as varied sorption properties of MP for organic contaminants and the toxicity mechanisms of MP on diverse studied living aquatic species in laboratory studies were not represent the real toxicity in oceans and rivers. This critical knowledge gap concerning the ecotoxicological impact of MP on the studied species and their real toxicity profile is in research infancy. Thus, there is currently a research gap with respect to the ecotoxicological impact of MP and its toxicity assessment in the human food chain. Therefore, in our current evaluation, we have summarized the available literature on transport pathways, ecotoxicology of MP, and the food web transfer of MP along with toxic pollutants in the aquatic food webs. Furthermore, the MP metabolism and endpoint toxicity in human and mice model studies are poorly understood. This study may act as a guide for future research opportunities to address the toxicity of MP toward food safety through aquatic food webs.

Title: Effects of Polyamide microplastics in the marine mussel Mytillus galloprovincialis: single and combined exposure with a red seaweed exudate.
Authors: Diana Campos
Affiliation: CESAM – Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal

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