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Sorption of trace elements (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn) by macro- and microplastics within intertidal sediments; A laboratory, field and modeling approach
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This thesis applied laboratory, field, and modeling approaches to examine trace element sorption by PETE and HDPE macro- and microplastics in marine intertidal sediments at Burrard Inlet, Canada. Results showed that trace element sorption by plastics depends on sediment geochemistry and polymer degradation status, with organic matter reducing plastic's role as a sorption vector through competitive adsorption.
Plastic are now the main fraction of marine and beach litter as a result of the increasing production and wide range of applications.Due to continuous degradation, long residence times, and behaviour, there is widespread concern and gaps in knowledge regarding the growing impacts of plastic macro-and microparticles on marine and freshwater ecosystems and human health.The potential threat that plastic particles impose on ecosystems varies from ingestion by a wide range of aquatic organisms to their ability to sorb a diversity of environmental pollutants including trace elements.Only a few studies have addressed trace elements-plastic particles interactions within marine intertidal sedimentary environments.To address these current knowledge gaps, I applied laboratory, field, and modelling approaches to examine the sorption of Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn by macro-and microplastics of PETE and HDPE within marine intertidal sediments.First, I used field experiments in the intertidal area of Burrard Inlet (Canada) to compare long-term sorption of trace elements by 4 types of plastic macro-and microparticles within two contrasting intertidal sediment environments.I found that trace elements sorption by plastic macro-and microparticles are dependent of sediment geochemistry and polymer characteristics and degradation status.Sorption of trace elements by macro-and microplastics decreased with increasing organic matter concentration in sediments.Plastic particles play a minor role in trace elements sorption in the presence of organic matter at high concentrations as a result of competitive adsorption.Second, I used controlled laboratory experiments to test the dependence of temperature on trace element sorption by plastic macro-and microparticles within intertidal sediments.Temperature alters the sorption of metals by plastic by altering the rate of reaching equilibrium and equilibrium concentration.Constant temperature had only a minor influence on the partitioning of trace elements in presence of organic matter at high concentrations.Lastly, I show that PFOM and PSOM kinetic models do not perform well in testing data derived from sorption experiments and suggest a frameworkfor the future development in modeling and predicting of trace elements sorption by plastic particles within intertidal sediments.Overall, this thesis enhances our understanding of trace elements-plastic particles interactions in intertidal sediments and provides a tool that can be used to assess the conditions under which macro-and microplastics pose the greatest threat by providing an additional vector of Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn exposure into benthic food webs.
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Temperature affects the sorption of trace metals by macro- and microplastics within marine intertidal sediments: insights from a long-term laboratory-based study
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Researchers conducted long-term laboratory experiments to understand how temperature affects the ability of macro- and microplastics to absorb trace metals like cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in marine sediments. They found that temperature changes altered the rate at which metals were absorbed and the equilibrium concentrations reached, while sediment organic matter also influenced sorption at all temperatures tested. The study provides insight into how warming ocean temperatures could change the way plastics interact with toxic metals in coastal environments.
Sorption of trace metals by macro- and microplastics within intertidal sediments: Insights from a long-term field study within Burrard Inlet, British Columbia, Canada
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Researchers placed macro- and microplastics made of two common polymer types in marine intertidal sediments in British Columbia, Canada, for an extended field study to measure how they absorb trace metals. They found that metal sorption depended on polymer type, plastic aging, particle size, and local environmental conditions such as proximity to pollution sources. The study demonstrates that plastics in marine sediments can accumulate concerning levels of metals like copper and zinc, potentially creating concentrated toxic hotspots.
Supplementary file 1_Temperature affects the sorption of trace metals by macro- and microplastics within marine intertidal sediments: insights from a long-term laboratory-based study.zip
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Researchers examined how water temperature affects the sorption of trace metals by macro- and microplastic particles, finding that warmer temperatures enhanced metal desorption from plastic surfaces, with implications for the environmental chemistry of plastic-associated contaminants under climate warming.
Macro and micro plastics sorb and desorb metals and act as a point source of trace metals to coastal ecosystems
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Researchers collected plastic debris from nine urban intertidal areas in Vancouver, Canada, and analyzed the metals sorbed onto different polymer types. They found that environmental plastics carried significantly higher metal concentrations than newly manufactured plastics, with zinc, copper, cadmium, and lead all detected. The study suggests that both macro and micro plastics act as point sources of trace metal contamination in coastal ecosystems.
Time-dependent modeling of Cd competitive adsorption in sediment–microplastic heterogeneous systems
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When microplastics and contaminated sediment share the same environment, they compete for the same toxic heavy metals — and this study shows that microplastics actually reduce the sediment's ability to absorb cadmium by occupying the most reactive binding sites. The effect is most pronounced in the first 30 minutes of exposure and at higher cadmium concentrations, with polypropylene microplastics at 2–5% concentration being particularly disruptive. Understanding this competitive dynamic is essential for accurately predicting how cadmium and other heavy metals move through aquatic environments contaminated with both plastics and industrial pollutants.
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