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Assessment of microplastic release from geofabrics used in erosion control at construction sites
Summary
Construction sites using polyester geofabric for erosion control were found to shed an estimated 1.7 million PET microplastic fibers per rain event into nearby waterways, even when stormwater management systems captured more than 90% of particles. The study demonstrates that geofabrics — a largely overlooked source — can be a substantial contributor to urban microplastic pollution, and that existing best management practices are insufficient to prevent millions of fibers from reaching aquatic environments during each major rainfall.
• Geo fabrics on construction sites increases MP generation and release to natural environments. • An estimated 1.69 × 10⁶ PET MPs per rain event shed from geofabric were discharged into the water body. • PET accounted for 28.8% of MPs, with peak concentrations at downstream (53.3%) and outlet (65.4%). • ATR-FTIR linked PET fibres in downstream and outlet samples to the geofabric material used at site. Microplastic (MP) pollution in urban environments is an emerging concern, yet limited data exist on contributions from active construction sites. This study investigated the abundance and characteristics of MP particles in stormwater, including their release from geofabric materials at a construction site following major rainfall events. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) emerged as the dominant polymer, accounting for 28.79% of the total MP load across all samples, followed by PP, PE, and PU. This dominance was due to its high concentration in downstream samples collected within the construction zone, where PET averaged 61.74 MPs/L and accounted for 53.33% of the MPs at that location. In comparison, the concentrations declined to 6.74 MPs/L at the outlet site. This reduction reflects the influence of stormwater management features such as sediment basins, riprap-lined channels, and vegetated strip filters, which retained more than 90% of MP particles. However, estimated event-based loads indicated that between 1.42 × 10⁶ and 4.60 × 10⁶ MPs/event (mean: 2.61 × 10⁶ MPs/event) were discharged to receiving waters, including approximately 1.69 × 10⁶ PET MPs/event derived from geofabric shedding. These findings demonstrate that even when stormwater best management practices (SBMPs) are implemented effectively, construction sites can be substantial sources of MP pollution. This study highlights the need for long-term monitoring, flow-based load estimations, and targeted improvements to SBMP design to minimise MP export and better manage pollution risks during rainfall-driven events. Keywords: stormwater, microplastic, construction sites, pollution, geofabrics