Scientometric Analysis of Microplastics across the Globe

Microplastic waste in the environment is now a global problem, and its fate and harmful effects have drawn significant attention in the past few years due to environmental concerns. We searched the Web of Science core collection scientific database thoroughly from 1980 to November 2021 and retrieved a total of 8257 bibliographic records. The word microplastics was not used before 2003; since 2004, the use of the keyword microplastic for a pollutant has increased tremendously. Statistical analysis shows that the number of articles on microplastics has grown considerably since 2014 (≥100 per year). The last decade (a rapid growth period) has seen a tremendous increase in the number of articles on microplastics compared with previous decades. Worldwide, researchers in this field come primarily from China, the USA, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. China, the USA, Germany, and Italy were the leading countries in plastic production. Microplastics research is multidisciplinary and involves the environmental sciences, ecology, marine freshwater biology, engineering, chemistry, toxicology, water resources, etc. Research on microplastics in water and soil is more dominant than research on their presence in the atmosphere. This chapter will provide a comprehensive literature review and scientometric analysis of microplastics studies across the globe.