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Characterization of three plastic forms: Plasticoncrete, plastimetal and plastisessiles
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Researchers identified and characterized three previously undescribed forms of plastic that have fused with other materials: plasticoncrete (plastic fibers embedded in concrete), plastimetal (plastic rusted with metal), and plastisessiles (plastic fibers anchored by oysters and worms). These hybrid plastic forms sink and stay put, showing that plastic can become permanently locked into coastal environments through both industrial and biological processes.
Plastic forms, including plastiglomerate, pyroplastic, plasticrusts, anthropoquinas, plastistone and plastitar, were recorded worldwide. These plastic forms derive from geochemical or geophysical interactions such as heat-induced plastic fusion with rock in campfires, incomplete plastic combustion, water motion-driven plastic abrasion in the rocky intertidal zone, plastic deposition in hardened sediments and plastic bonding with tar. Thereby, these interactions can profoundly influence the fate of plastics in the environment. This study characterized three novel plastic forms (plasticoncrete, plastimetal and plastisessiles) discovered on Helgoland island (North Sea). Plasticoncrete consisted of common polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) fibers hardened in concrete. Plastimetal included PE fibers rusted with metal. Plastisessiles consisted of PE fibers attached to benthic substrates by sessile invertebrates (oysters and polychaetes). Plasticoncrete and plastimetal are the first plastic forms composed of two man-made materials. Plastisessiles show that plastic forms not only result from human- or environment-mediated interactions but also from biological interactions between invertebrates and plastic. All plastic forms (bulk density ≥ 1.4 g/cm3) sunk during floating tests and hardly changed their positions during a 13-day field experiment and 153- to 306-day field monitorings, indicating their local formation, limited mobility and longevity. Still, experimentally detached plastic fibers floated, confirming that the formation of these plastic forms influences the fate of plastic fibers in the environment. Furthermore, the experiment showed that plasticoncrete got deposited in beach sand under wavy and windy conditions, indicating that coastal waves and onshore winds drive plasticoncrete deposition in coastal sediments. We also provide first records of plasticoncrete on Mallorca island (Mediterranean Sea) and plastimetal on Hikoshima island (Sea of Japan), respectively, which show that these plastic forms are no local phenomena. Thereby, our study contributes to the growing fundamental knowledge of plastic forms that is essential to understand the role and fate of these pollutants in coastal habitats worldwide.
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Geological plastic forms in marine and terrestrial environments in Europe and Japan
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Researchers in Europe and Japan studied how plastic debris combines with rock, concrete, metal, oil and marine life to form new "geological plastic forms" in coastal and land environments. Examples include plastic fused with rock-like material, embedded in concrete or tar, rusted with metal, or overgrown by oysters and tube worms, affecting how plastics move, spread and persist.
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.
New plastic formations in the Anthropocene
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This review examined novel plastic formations in the Anthropocene, including pyroplastics, plastiglomerates, and plastic crusts formed through anthropogenic and environmental processes in the marine environment. These new geological materials represent a permanent record of the plastic age and have distinct physical and chemical properties from the original plastics from which they formed.
A study of ‘new plastic formations’ found in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan
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Researchers documented new plastic formations on coasts of the Seto Inland Sea in Japan, describing fused and melted plastic-rock composites as a novel anthropogenic geological feature forming on Asian Pacific coastlines.
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