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Liu Y, Zhang J, Cai C, He Y, Chen L, Xiong X, Huang H, Tao S, Liu W. Occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in the Haihe River: An investigation of a seagoing river flowing through a megacity in northern China. Environ Pollut 2020; 262:114261. [PMID: 32120261 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater systems serve as important sources and transportation routes for marine microplastic pollution, and inadequate attention has been paid to this situation. Data on microplastic pollution of typical seagoing rivers in northern China are lacking. In the current study, we investigated the distribution and characteristics of microplastics in the main stream of the Haihe River, which flows through a metropolis with a high population density and level of industrialization and then flows into the Bohai Sea. The microplastic samples were collected by manta trawls with pore sizes of 333 μm, and the microplastic concentrations ranged from 0.69 to 74.95 items/m3. Fibers dominated in the surface water of the Haihe River; their shapes that were categorized as fibers, film, foam, fragments, and spheres, and contributed 17.4-86.7% of the total microplastics studied. The size distribution of the microplastics was concentrated in a range of 100-1000 μm, with 54.7% of the total sizes corresponding to the 333-μm trawl. Micro-Fourier transform infrared (μ-FT-IR) spectra showed that the main components were polyethylene, poly(ethylene-propylene) copolymer, and polypropylene. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) measurements revealed scratches, micropores, and cracks on the surfaces of the microplastics due to mechanical friction, chemical oxidation and degradation processes. The results of this study confirmed the high abundance and high diversity of microplastics in an urban river and indicated appreciable impacts from point-source inputs on the microplastic pollution, such as effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface and Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - JiaoDi Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface and Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - ChuanYang Cai
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface and Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yong He
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface and Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - LiYuan Chen
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface and Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiong Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - HuiJing Huang
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface and Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shu Tao
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface and Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - WenXin Liu
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface and Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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