Evidence of microplastics in wetlands: Extraction and quantification in Freshwater and coastal ecosystems. (April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kumar, Rakesh; Sharma, Prabhakar; Bandyopadhyay, Somnath
• Is Part Of: Journal of water process engineering. Volume 40(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-04
• Subjects: Microplastic pollution -- Wetland -- Freshwater -- Coastal -- Density separation; Water-supply engineering -- Periodicals; Saline water conversion -- Periodicals; Seawater -- Distillation -- Periodicals; Sanitary engineering -- Periodicals; Sewage -- Purification -- Periodicals; 627
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2021.101966
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2214-7144

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: Both freshwater and coastal Wetlands exhibit microplastics in high concentrations. Source generation along with their extraction and quantification are key for understanding the microplastics in wetland. Aquatic animals/organisms may get exposed to microplastics pollution and transfer microplastics into the food web. Impacts of microplastics accumulation and ecological services in wetland ecosystems are critical for forthcoming research. Abstract: Microplastics are the emerging non-degradable pollutants in natural ecosystems. It impacts humans and wildlife, mainly aquatic species, by getting incorporated into the food chain due to their sizes (< 5 mm). Microplastics are common in the marine ecosystems but are also present in the freshwater ecosystems, such as in lakes, ponds, river basins, wetlands, or even in moist agricultural lands and groundwater. This paper focuses on the primary sources, detection, and quantification of microplastics in wetlands, both freshwater and coastal, based on research conducted worldwide. Fibers (thread), fragments, filaments, foams, and microbeads are common shapes of microplastics observed in wetland ecosystems. Microplastics pollution has been observed in wetlands with an abundance of up to 5531 particles m −3 and 6360 particles kg –1 in water and sediment samples, respectively. This study also discusses the recent progress in extraction, characterization, and quantification techniques in order to identify research gaps, such as the interaction of microplastic and heavy metals and organic compounds in the wetland ecosystem. Microplastics in size range of 0.12–9.5 mm have been reported in wetland biota. Furthermore, ecological concerns are identified in terms of threats and disturbances caused by microplastics to the freshwater organisms present in wetlands. Finally, it outlines the future scope, research gap, and potential solutions for microplastic pollution research in wetlands.