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Marine Microplastic
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Marine Microplastic

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Environmental Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 25808

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Chengjun Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China
Interests: marine environment; microplastics; marine microplastic; marine debris; biomaterial

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microplastics have received worldwide attention in recent years due to their ubiquitous presence, trans-boundary pollution, and potential negative effects on living organisms, both in the ocean and on land. This Special Issue calls for papers focusing on recent research results on the analytical method, distribution, source, transfer, degradation, biotoxicity, simulation modeling, cleanup, and countermeasures of marine microplastics. Since microplastics can concentrate other pollutants, research on combined toxic effects of microplastics and their adsorbed pollutants are welcomed. As a non-negligible source of marine microplastics, wastewater research is encouraged. You may present your research on both micro- and nanosized plastics, and we highly encourage novel techniques.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit to this Special Issue on Marine Microplastic research. I sincerely hope the published papers will facilitate better knowledge sharing and build stronger collaborations.

Dr. Chengjun Sun
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microplastics
  • nanoplastics
  • plastic pollution
  • marine litter
  • source
  • distribution
  • transfer
  • cleanup
  • pollutants

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 3348 KiB  
Article
Zonal Distribution Characteristics of Microplastics in the Southern Indian Ocean and the Influence of Ocean Current
by Jingxi Li, Fenglei Gao, Di Zhang, Wei Cao and Chang Zhao
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(2), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10020290 - 19 Feb 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3291
Abstract
As a new type of pollutant, microplastics widely exist in the marine environment and have attracted a lot of attention from the international community. In order to study the distribution of microplastics and the influence of ocean current, microplastic samples in seawater of [...] Read more.
As a new type of pollutant, microplastics widely exist in the marine environment and have attracted a lot of attention from the international community. In order to study the distribution of microplastics and the influence of ocean current, microplastic samples in seawater of the southern Indian Ocean were collected using a peristaltic pump equipped on-board and concentrated on site. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of microplastics were performed using a stereo-microscope and a micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscope attenuated total reflection. The results showed that the average abundance of microplastics in seawater of the southern Indian Ocean was 2.3 ± 2.1 items/m3, which was consistent with that in other oceans. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), Rayon, polyamide (PA), and polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) were the main polymers of microplastics in the southern Indian Ocean. The size range of all detected microplastics was 108.2–4703.0 µm. All microplastics had different colors, such as black, red, yellow, gray, blue, green, purple, and transparent. Fiber was the dominant shape of microplastics. The abundance distribution of microplastics fluctuated in the latitudinal direction. The abundance of microplastics from the present study area was higher in the coastal region of the South Africa continent and the Indian Ocean garbage patch, with an average abundance of 4.0 items/m3. The average abundance of microplastics was relatively high in the convergence area of the circulation, which revealed that the ocean current facilitated the agglomeration and transportation of microplastics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microplastic)
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10 pages, 2802 KiB  
Article
Photoaging Characteristics of Disposable Masks under UV Irradiation
by Xinhao Liu, Wei Cao, Linqing Xie, Chengjun Sun and Fenghua Jiang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(2), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10020170 - 27 Jan 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3158
Abstract
The global outbreak of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to an extreme increase in the use of disposable masks. If the used disposable masks are not appropriately disposed of, they will enter the natural environment and lead to environmental pollution. In [...] Read more.
The global outbreak of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to an extreme increase in the use of disposable masks. If the used disposable masks are not appropriately disposed of, they will enter the natural environment and lead to environmental pollution. In order to understand the impacts of disposable masks after being disposed of into the natural environment, aging experiments with simulated natural conditions were performed on the outer, inner, and middle layers of the masks to verify the aging characteristics of disposable masks. We analyzed the mechanical behavior, surface morphology, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra of disposable masks treated with different levels of UV irradiation to understand the possible changes in the masks under UV. Results showed that the elongation at break, tensile strength, and maximum force of all three polypropylene (PP) mask layers decreased after UV irradiation, indicating chemical bond breakage. In the process of photoaging, each layer of the disposable masks showed a different degree of microscopic surface changes after UV irradiation, and these changes gradually intensified with the extension of UV exposure time. FT-IR results showed that functional groups, such as hydroxyl and carbonyl groups increased in each layer after UV irradiation. The results of this study support that, although the different layers of the disposable masks are all made of PP, they age differently in the environment. With the ever-increasing number of disposable masks in the environment, we need to further study the aging and degradation of disposable masks to better understand their potential impacts on the environment in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microplastic)
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13 pages, 1559 KiB  
Article
Occurrence and Seasonal Variation of Microplastics in the Effluent from Wastewater Treatment Plants in Qingdao, China
by Fenghua Jiang, Menghui Wang, Jinfeng Ding, Wei Cao and Chengjun Sun
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(1), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10010058 - 04 Jan 2022
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2336
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered as one of the important sources of microplastics (MPs) in the marine environment. In this paper, the characteristics of MPs in the effluent discharged from five WWTPs in Qingdao, China, in winter and summer were analyzed. The [...] Read more.
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered as one of the important sources of microplastics (MPs) in the marine environment. In this paper, the characteristics of MPs in the effluent discharged from five WWTPs in Qingdao, China, in winter and summer were analyzed. The results showed that only fibers and fragments were observed, with fibers as a dominant part. Rayon was the most domain polymer type, followed by Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and chlorinated polyethylene (CPE). The average sizes of fiber MPs were 1010 ± 924 µm and 610 ± 691 µm in winter and summer, respectively. The contents of rayon were higher in summer than in winter. More small and transparent MPs were observed in summer. Rayon abundances ranged from 4.1 to 19.9 items/L and 33.3 to 116.7 items/L, with 12.3 ± 5.6 items/L and 67.6 ± 30.6 items/L as the average value in winter and in summer, respectively. The abundances of other polymer type MPs were 7.23~19.65 items/L with average value of 12.7 ± 4.7 items/L in winter and 12.0~20.0 items/L with 16.8 ± 4.7 items/L in summer. The daily emissions were estimated as 8.38 × 109~4.25 × 1010 items (9.2~27.8 kg) for rayon and 8.0 × 109~1.2 × 1010 items (7.6~5.3 kg) discharged for the other polymer type MPs from the five WWTPs. The results indicated that the seasonal variation of characteristics and emission of MPs in the effluent from WWTPs was mainly caused by increasing discharge of rayon, which may relate to people’s living habits and tourism activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microplastic)
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12 pages, 4552 KiB  
Article
Type and Distribution of Microplastics in Beach Sediment along the Coast of the Eastern Gulf of Thailand
by Suthep Jualaong, Mitila Pransilpa, Siriporn Pradit and Prawit Towatana
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9(12), 1405; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9121405 - 09 Dec 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4328
Abstract
In the oceans and coasts, plastic waste poses a global threat to biodiversity. This study examined the types and distribution of microplastics in beach sediment along the coast of the eastern Gulf of Thailand in March 2018 (northeast monsoon = dry season) and [...] Read more.
In the oceans and coasts, plastic waste poses a global threat to biodiversity. This study examined the types and distribution of microplastics in beach sediment along the coast of the eastern Gulf of Thailand in March 2018 (northeast monsoon = dry season) and July 2018 (southwest monsoon = rainy season). Microplastic samples were collected from six stations including Koh Khramyai Beach (Chonburi Province), Koh Mannai Beach (Rayong Province), Chao Lao Beach (Chanthaburi Province, 3 stations), and Ploy Dang Beach (Trat Province). The results showed that the highest average abundances of microplastics in March and July were at Koh Mannai Beach (1698 pieces/m2) and Koh Khramyai Beach (799 pieces/m2), respectively. However, no microplastics were found at Ploy Dang Beach in July. According to polymer-type identification using an FTIR spectrometer, 17 polymer types were found in this study. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET = 39.6%) and polyamide (PA = 22.8%) were the polymer types found in the highest proportions in March and July, respectively. In addition, the fiber shape and transparent color of microplastics were found to be the most abundant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microplastic)
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12 pages, 2059 KiB  
Article
Occurrence of Microplastics in the Gastrointestinal Tract and Gills of Fish from Guangdong, South China
by Zhengkun Pan, Chaonan Zhang, Shaodan Wang, Di Sun, Aiguo Zhou, Shaolin Xie, Guohuan Xu and Jixing Zou
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9(9), 981; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9090981 - 08 Sep 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4841
Abstract
Microplastic pollution has become a major global concern. Coastal areas are densely populated with human activity, commercial enterprises, and fishing, resulting in high incidences of fish microplastic pollution. It has been shown that microplastics exist in commercial fish in coastal areas of Guangdong, [...] Read more.
Microplastic pollution has become a major global concern. Coastal areas are densely populated with human activity, commercial enterprises, and fishing, resulting in high incidences of fish microplastic pollution. It has been shown that microplastics exist in commercial fish in coastal areas of Guangdong, China. Most of the microplastics were less than 1 mm, white and blue fibers. The abundance, type, shape and color of microplastics in gills and in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of eight species of commercial fish in the coastal waters of central and western Guangdong Province were analyzed. The overall abundance of microplastic particles in fish was 6.6 items/individual, with an average of 2.2 particles in gills and 4.4 in the GIT. The GIT of carnivorous fish was less likely to ingest microplastics than that of herbivores or omnivores. Middle-water fish, on the other hand, are less likely to have their gills contaminated with microplastics. These results revealed the degree of microplastic pollution in fish tissues from the central and western coastal areas of Guangdong province. The quantity of microplastics in the GIT of fish in the Pearl River Delta was the highest compared with the surrounding areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microplastic)
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Review

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11 pages, 1269 KiB  
Review
Towards Risk Assessments of Microplastics in Bivalve Mollusks Globally
by Jinfeng Ding, Yunmei Sun, Changfei He, Jingxi Li and Fengmin Li
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(2), 288; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10020288 - 19 Feb 2022
Cited by 38 | Viewed by 6668
Abstract
The ubiquitous presence of microplastics in bivalve mollusks and related risks have raised particular concerns. In this study, the available data on the abundance and polymer type of microplastics in bivalves from twenty-two countries were extracted to comprehensively understand the risks of microplastics [...] Read more.
The ubiquitous presence of microplastics in bivalve mollusks and related risks have raised particular concerns. In this study, the available data on the abundance and polymer type of microplastics in bivalves from twenty-two countries were extracted to comprehensively understand the risks of microplastics in bivalves. Following the data from 52 peer-reviewed papers, the abundance, chemical composition, and human exposure risks of microplastics of bivalves among countries were initially assessed. Abundance risk results indicated that bivalves from 22 countries presented a low pollution load index, showing a lower risk level (level I). The polymer risk index (H) of bivalves from Portugal (Hcountry = 1335, level IV) and India (Hcountry = 1187, level IV) were higher than the other countries due to the occurrence of hazardous microplastics, such as polyvinyl chloride. For the human exposure risks, the global mean value of microplastic exposure to humans via mollusk consumption is estimated to be 751 microplastics/capita/year, with the maximum intake by the Chinese. This study suggests that abundance risk may be a fundamental indicator for assessing the potential hazard to humans until the chemical composition risks are confirmed. This study is the first attempt to assess the potential risks of microplastics in bivalves using three evaluation models based on microplastic abundances and polymer types, which will contribute to establishing future human health risk assessment frameworks. These findings will also assist efforts in policy-making to minimize microplastic risks in seafood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microplastic)
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