Microscopy and elemental analysis characterisation of microplastics in sediment of a freshwater urban river in Scotland, UK
Abstract
Understanding of the sources, fate, and impact of microplastics (MPs, 88% of total counts. Nevertheless, fibres in blanks suggest potential contributions from atmospheric contamination. Moreover, fibres concentrated mainly in fractions < 0.09 mm suggesting that their fate may be influenced by drivers of fine sediment dynamics in rivers. While no primary MPs were observed, metallic and glass pellets were present in high abundances in settled material and could be easily misidentified by visual inspection, demonstrating that compositional analysis is needed to avoid analytical errors from MP misidentification and overestimation. SEM-EDS allowed for a quick screening of plastic vs non-plastic pellets and improved identification of smaller fragments, whereas more advanced techniques are needed for proper identification of fibres. This study is the first to report on MPs in freshwater rivers in Scotland and suggests that diffuse sources of pollution may be delivering secondary MPs to the river. Their sources, fate, and risk in these systems will thus warrant further attention.
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