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To What Extent Can Micro- and Macroplastics Be Trapped in Sedimentary Particles? A Case Study Investigating Dredged
Mel Constant1, Claire Alary1, Isabelle De Waele2
1Université Lille, Institut Mines-Télécom, Université Artois, Junia, ULR 4515-LGCgE, Laboratoire de Génie Civil et géo-Environnement, F-59000 Lille, France.
Environmental Science & Technology
|April 16, 2021
Summary
Dredged river sediments contain significant amounts of plastic debris, including macroplastics and microplastics. These sediments are crucial for understanding past plastic pollution and estimating global plastic budgets.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecotoxicology
- Riverine Ecology
Background:
- Plastic waste is a persistent global pollutant, with its fate in riverine ecosystems poorly understood.
- Dredged sediments represent potential sinks for plastic debris, yet their role in plastic pollution dynamics is understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify macroplastic (MaP) and microplastic (MP) contamination in sediments from dredging disposal sites along the Aa River, France.
- To characterize the types of plastics found and investigate factors influencing their distribution.
Main Methods:
- Sediment sampling from four depths (up to 140 cm) at two dredging disposal sites.
- Separation and quantification of MaPs (>5 mm) and MPs (<5 mm) using sieving and density separation (NaI solution).
- Identification of plastic polymers using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Sediments showed widespread contamination with 0.97–77 MaPs/kg and 0.78–2800 MPs/kg.
- MaPs were mainly polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride films; MPs were primarily polyamide and polyester fibers.
- Plastic concentrations varied between sites and fill times, with potential storage exceeding 1 ton per site, but no clear correlation with sediment features was found.
Conclusions:
- Dredged sediments act as significant reservoirs for plastic pollution, offering insights into historical contamination.
- These findings underscore the importance of considering dredged sediments in plastic pollution studies and global plastic budget assessments.
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