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Marine pollution from pyroplastics
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Scientists discovered a new type of ocean plastic pollution called "pyroplastic", chunks of melted, burned plastic that wash up on beaches looking like ordinary rocks or pebbles. This disguise is concerning because these fragments can contain lead (sometimes at high levels) that may leach into sea life living on their surfaces, and because their rock-like appearance means they're likely being overlooked in beach cleanups and pollution surveys, meaning the true amount of plastic waste in our oceans is probably higher than we think.
Items of marine plastic litter are conventionally classified as primary or secondary, depending on whether they are distinct objects or angular fragments, respectively. "Pyroplastic" is an additional type of plastic litter that is described here, based on observations made on beached samples from south west England. Pyroplastics are derived from the informal or more organised burning of manufactured plastics and may be angular "plastiglomerates", comprising pieces of plastic debris within a matrix, or rounded plastic "pebbles", where agglomerated material has been weathered and smoothed into more brittle and neutrally-coloured geogenic-looking clasts. Beached pyroplastics are usually positively buoyant because of a polyethylene or polypropylene matrix, and exhibit a bimodal mass distribution attributed to the breakage of larger clasts (>20 mm) into smaller fragments (<5 mm). XRF analysis reveals variable quantities of Pb in the matrix (up to 7500 μg g-1), often in the presence of Cr, implying that material in many samples pre-dates restrictions on the use of lead chromate. Low concentrations of Br and Sb relative to pieces of manufactured plastics in the marine environment suggest that pyroplastics are not directly or indirectly derived from electronic plastic. Calcareous worm tubes on the surfaces of pyroplastics dense enough to be temporarily submerged in the circalittoral zone are enriched in Pb, suggesting that constituents within the matrix are partly bioavailable. Evading ready detection due to their striking visual similarity to geogenic material, pyroplastics may contribute to an underestimation of the stock of beached plastics in many cases.
More Papers Like This
The characterization of pyroplastics on the Sea of Japan coastline
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Researchers characterized pyroplastics, a novel form of plastic waste originating from the burning and melting of plastics, collected from beaches along the Sea of Japan coastline. The study found these pyroplastics were ubiquitous across sampling sites, composed of mixed polymer types including polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, with the highest concentrations found at an enclosed bay site.
Plasticrusts, plastiglomerate and pyroplastic: new connections among novel plastic forms
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Plasticrusts, plastiglomerates, and pyroplastics are newly identified forms of plastic that have fused with rocks, sand, or other natural materials along marine coastlines worldwide. These novel plastic forms are created through weathering, burning, and melting processes and represent a largely unstudied pathway for microplastic generation. Their discovery shows that plastic pollution is transforming coastal environments in ways scientists are only beginning to understand.
First record of plastiglomerates, pyroplastics, and plasticrusts in South America
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Researchers documented the first evidence of plastiglomerates, pyroplastics, and plasticrusts on beaches in South America, adding to the growing global record of these newly described forms of plastic pollution. The study suggests that these formations, where plastic fuses with natural materials like rock and sediment, represent a lasting geological marker of human plastic pollution in coastal environments.
Plastiglomerates from uncontrolled burning of plastic waste on Indonesian beaches contain high contents of organic pollutants
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Researchers examined plastiglomerates — rocks fused with melted plastic — from Indonesian beaches where plastic waste is burned openly, finding high concentrations of toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalates in the samples. The burning process makes plastics more brittle and prone to breaking into microplastics, while also creating new mobile pollution forms that can carry chemical contaminants into nearby coral reefs and coastal habitats.
Identification of polymer types and additives in marine microplastic particles using pyrolysis-GC/MS and scanning electron microscopy
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Researchers used pyrolysis and thermal analysis to identify polymer types and plastic additives in marine microplastic particles, finding a diverse range of polymers and additive chemicals in samples from multiple ocean environments.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.