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Updated: Aug 9, 2025
Sampling, Sorting, and Characterizing Microplastics in Aquatic Environments with High Suspended Sediment Loads and Large Floating Debris
Published on: July 28, 2018
Quantifying environmental emissions of microplastics from urban rivers in Melbourne, Australia
Subharthe Samandra1, Jai Singh2, Katie Plaisted3
1Australian Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants (ALEC), School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia; Eurofins Environment Testing Australia & New Zealand, Australia.
Abstract:
This study aims to understand the amount and type of microplastics flowing into Port Phillip Bay from urban rivers around Melbourne. Water samples were collected from the Patterson, Werribee, Maribyrnong, and Yarra Rivers, which contribute 97 % to the total flow into Port Phillip Bay. On average, the rivers contained a mean of 9 ± 15 microplastics/L and ranged from 4 ± 3 microplastics/L (Patterson) to 22 ± 11 microplastics/L (Werribee). Of the eight polymers investigated, polyamide and polypropylene were the most frequently detected polymers. Using the mean concentration of each river, the flow of microplastics into Port Philip Bay was estimated to be 7.5 × 106 microplastics per day and 3.7 × 1010 microplastics per year. To fully understand the fate and transport of microplastics into Port Phillip Bay, this study would be the foundation for a more in-depth investigation. Here, further samples will be collected at more points along the river and at the midpoint of each season.
