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Urban Microplastic Pollution Revealed by a Large-Scale Wetland Soil Survey

Environmental Science & Technology 2023 65 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 55 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Xuyuan Zhang, Qian Liu, Wenxi Jiang, Qian Liu, Junjie Lei, Wenxi Jiang, Xuyuan Zhang, Wende Yan Xuyuan Zhang, Yong Li, Yong Li, Yong Li, Qian Liu, Qian Liu, Qian Liu, Qian Liu, Qian Liu, Wende Yan Junjie Lei, Qian Liu, Qian Liu, Qian Liu, Yong Li, Qian Liu, Xiaoyong Chen, Junjie Lei, Wende Yan Qian Liu, Ziqian Li, Yong Li, Yong Li, Xuyuan Zhang, Peipei Dan, Peipei Dan, Junjie Lei, Yong Li, Qian Liu, Ziqian Li, Qing Dan, Xuyuan Zhang, Qing Dan, Wenxi Jiang, Yong Li, Qian Liu, Qian Liu, Wenxi Jiang, Qian Liu, Xiaoyong Chen, Yong Li, Qian Liu, Yong Li, Yong Li, Junjie Lei, Xuyuan Zhang, Xiaoyong Chen, Wende Yan

Summary

Researchers conducted a large-scale survey of wetland soils across an urban area and found an average of 379 microplastic particles per kilogram, with abundance closely linked to proximity to the city's economic center. Polypropylene was the most common polymer type, and fiber and fragment shapes dominated the samples. The study found that atmospheric particle pollution and heavy metal concentrations in soil were strongly correlated with microplastic levels, suggesting shared urban pollution sources.

Polymers

Microplastics (MPs), as a new persistent pollutant, can be emitted and accumulated in urban environments, but there is no detailed information on the driving factors of MP pollution. In this study, through a large-scale wetland soil survey, the features of MPs were characterized in each urban area. The results showed an average abundance to be 379 n/kg in wetland soil. Polypropylene, fiber or fragment, and black color were common composition, shape, and color, respectively. The spatial distribution information showed that MP abundance was significantly relevant to the distance from the urban economic center. Furthermore, the correlation and regression analysis revealed that MP abundance was related to soil heavy metal and atmospheric particle (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations (P < 0.05), while the promotion of socioeconomic activities (urbanization level, population density, etc.) may aggravate the pollution degree. Additionally, by using structural equation modeling, it was found that the urbanization level was the dominant factor driving the MP pollution degree, with a total effect coefficient of 0.49. Overall, this work provides multi-sided environmental information regarding MP pollution in urban ecosystems, which is significant for follow-up studies of MP pollution control and restoration.

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