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Microplastics on the surface of marine waters of the coast of Santa Catarina (Brazil): identification by stereomicroscope and FTIR-ATR spectrophotometer

Revista Brasileira de Ciências Ambientais 2024 2 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 40 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Arianna De Bernardi, Elisângela Silva Lopes Ricardo, Elisângela Silva Lopes Ricardo, Francesca Tagliabue, Enrica Marini, Überson Boaretto Rossa, Amarildo Otávio Martins, Überson Boaretto Rossa, Enrica Marini, Arianna De Bernardi, Amarildo Otávio Martins, Eduardo Augusto Werneck Ribeiro, Francesca Tagliabue, Costantino Vischetti Cristiano Casucci, Costantino Vischetti Cristiano Casucci, Cristiano Casucci, Gianluca Brunetti, Gianluca Brunetti, Arianna De Bernardi, Enrica Marini, Francesca Tagliabue, Überson Boaretto Rossa, Elisângela Silva Lopes Ricardo, Amarildo Otávio Martins, Costantino Vischetti

Summary

Researchers detected microplastics in surface seawater off the northern coast of Santa Catarina, Brazil — an area not previously studied for microplastic contamination — finding mostly plastic fragments and films, with polyethylene and polypropylene being the most common polymer types. The study also validated a low-cost, locally built sampling device as an effective tool for microplastic monitoring, which is important for expanding surveillance capacity in resource-limited regions.

Polymers

PE PP

The oceans are one of the final destinations for the vast majority of plastic waste; in this sense, particles smaller than 5 mm, classified as microplastics (MPs), represent an environmental challenge with global impact on several ecosystems. The work evaluated the presence of MPs in marine waters off the northern coast of Santa Catarina (Brazil), addressing sampling procedures, opening, characterization, and polymer identification. A low-cost equipment developed with easily accessible materials was tested in the sampling, showing excellent results in terms of buoyancy, stability, and mechanical strength. The concentration of MPs obtained in the study was 0.01 MPs per m3. The particles found were analyzed by stereomicroscopy and classified according to morphological aspects in relation to shape into fragments 58,00%, films 25,00%, and lines 17,00%, and regarding the aspect related to color, blue was predominant. The characterization and polymeric identification was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy coupled to the total attenuated reflectance module (FTIR-ATR). The types of polymers identified were: polyethylene 33,33%; polypropylene 25,00%; butadiene-styrene copolymer 25,00%, and cellulose 16,66%. The work contributed to the evaluation of an area not yet studied in relation to the presence of MPs in marine waters, while at the same time described in detail the methodologies for analyzing microplastics proposed in the specialized literature.

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