{"title":"Microplastic Transport and Accumulation in Rural Waterbodies: Insights from a Small Catchment in East China.","authors":"Tom Lotz, Wenjun Chen, Shoubao Su","doi":"10.3390/toxics12100761","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microplastic (MP) pollution in agricultural ecosystems is an emerging environmental concern, with limited knowledge of its transport and accumulation in rural waterbodies. This study investigates the distribution and sources of MP in drainage ditches influenced by pond connectivity, land use, and soil properties within a small catchment in Nanjing, East China. Sediment was collected from ditches in 18 sites across forest, agricultural, horticultural, and urban areas. Using laser-directed infrared spectroscopy (LDIR), 922 MP particles were identified. Six materials were dominant: fluororubber (FR), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyurethane (PU), acrylonitrile (ACR), chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), and polyethylene (PE). MP concentrations varied by land use and pond connectivity, with ditches above ponds exhibiting higher counts (1700 particles/kg) than those below (1050 particles/kg), indicating that ponds act as MP sinks. The analysis revealed site-specific MP sources, with FR linked to road runoff and PET associated with agricultural practices. Correlations between MP shape and soil properties showed that more compact and filled shapes were more commonly associated with coarser soils. PE particle size was negatively correlated with organic matter. This study highlights the need for targeted strategies to reduce MP pollution in rural landscapes, such as reducing plastic use, ditch maintenance, and improved road runoff management.</p>","PeriodicalId":23195,"journal":{"name":"Toxics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11510974/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Toxics","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12100761","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution in agricultural ecosystems is an emerging environmental concern, with limited knowledge of its transport and accumulation in rural waterbodies. This study investigates the distribution and sources of MP in drainage ditches influenced by pond connectivity, land use, and soil properties within a small catchment in Nanjing, East China. Sediment was collected from ditches in 18 sites across forest, agricultural, horticultural, and urban areas. Using laser-directed infrared spectroscopy (LDIR), 922 MP particles were identified. Six materials were dominant: fluororubber (FR), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyurethane (PU), acrylonitrile (ACR), chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), and polyethylene (PE). MP concentrations varied by land use and pond connectivity, with ditches above ponds exhibiting higher counts (1700 particles/kg) than those below (1050 particles/kg), indicating that ponds act as MP sinks. The analysis revealed site-specific MP sources, with FR linked to road runoff and PET associated with agricultural practices. Correlations between MP shape and soil properties showed that more compact and filled shapes were more commonly associated with coarser soils. PE particle size was negatively correlated with organic matter. This study highlights the need for targeted strategies to reduce MP pollution in rural landscapes, such as reducing plastic use, ditch maintenance, and improved road runoff management.
ToxicsChemical Engineering-Chemical Health and Safety
CiteScore
4.50
自引率
10.90%
发文量
681
审稿时长
6 weeks
期刊介绍:
The Journal accepts papers describing work that furthers our understanding of the exposure, effects, and risks of chemicals and materials in humans and the natural environment as well as approaches to assess and/or manage the toxicological and ecotoxicological risks of chemicals and materials. The journal covers a wide range of toxic substances, including metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, biocides, nanomaterials, and polymers such as micro- and mesoplastics. Toxics accepts papers covering:
The occurrence, transport, and fate of chemicals and materials in different systems (e.g., food, air, water, soil);
Exposure of humans and the environment to toxic chemicals and materials as well as modelling and experimental approaches for characterizing the exposure in, e.g., water, air, soil, food, and consumer products;
Uptake, metabolism, and effects of chemicals and materials in a wide range of systems including in-vitro toxicological assays, aquatic and terrestrial organisms and ecosystems, model mammalian systems, and humans;
Approaches to assess the risks of chemicals and materials to humans and the environment;
Methodologies to eliminate or reduce the exposure of humans and the environment to toxic chemicals and materials.