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Quantification of microplastic by particle size down to 1.1 μm in surface road dust in an urban city, Japan

Environmental Pollution 2023 33 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 50 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, T. Morioka, Satoru YUKIOKA, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Satoru YUKIOKA, T. Morioka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Satoru YUKIOKA, Satoru YUKIOKA, Satoru YUKIOKA, Satoru YUKIOKA, Satoru YUKIOKA, Yuta Yamada Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Satoru YUKIOKA, Satoru YUKIOKA, Satoru YUKIOKA, Shuhei Tanaka, Satoru YUKIOKA, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Satoru YUKIOKA, Yuta Yamada Fumihiro Aiba, Shuhei Tanaka, Fumihiro Aiba, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, Shuhei Tanaka, T. Morioka, Shuhei Tanaka, Yuta Yamada

Summary

Researchers quantified microplastics in urban road dust in Japan down to 1.1 micrometers, revealing that smaller size fractions contained disproportionately higher particle counts and that roads are a significant source of fine microplastic pollution.

Polymers

ABS PA PC PE PMMA PP PS PVC

The impact of microplastics (MPs, plastic particles ≤5 mm) on ecosystems is of great concern. Road surfaces represent a significant source of MPs where plastic fragments are physically and chemically reduced to MPs. However, the literature lacks information on fragmentation tendencies below 11 μm. This study aimed to characterize the occurrence of MPs in road dust in different size fractions down to 1.1 μm. Road dust was collected at five sites near a major road in Kusatsu city, Japan, and partitioned by size into 13 fractions (1.1-850 μm). The coarser fractions accounted for a greater proportion of the dust. The percentage of organic matter, determined by loss on ignition, increased as the fractions became finer. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to quantify 12 types of polymers in each fraction. The dust was found to contain nine types of MP, namely, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), styrene/butadiene rubber (SBR), acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene resin (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and polyamide 66 (PA66). The total MP concentration in road dust particles by particle size fraction (concentration) began to increase from the 125-250 μm fraction and remained elevated in finer fractions down to 1.1 μm, indicating that MPs in the road dust micronized to at least 1.1 μm. However, for individual polymer types, the tendency for concentration to increase or decrease with particle size fraction varied: the concentration of some polymers, such as PE and PVC, remained elevated in fractions down to 1.1 μm; the concentration of SBR, a rubber-MP, showed a stable or decreasing trend in fractions of 7.0-11 μm and finer. Particles of PE, PVC, and some other plastics might become increasingly finer, even down to 1.1 μm. Further research is needed to understand the comminution limits of these polymers under pertinent environmental conditions.

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