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Microplastics pollution in the rivers of a metropolitan city and its estimated dependency on surrounding developed land

The Science of The Total Environment 2023 16 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.

Hoi‐Shing Lo, Xiaoyu Xu, Xiaoyu Xu, Xiaoyu Xu, Xiaoyu Xu, Xiaoyu Xu, H.M. Liu, Hoi‐Shing Lo, Hoi‐Shing Lo, Hoi‐Shing Lo, Hoi‐Shing Lo, Hoi‐Shing Lo, Hoi‐Shing Lo, Xiaoyu Xu, H.M. Liu, Xiaoyu Xu, Eric P.M. Grist, Eric P.M. Grist, Eric P.M. Grist, Hoi‐Shing Lo, Hoi‐Shing Lo, H.M. Liu, A.C.Y. Wong, Hoi‐Shing Lo, Hoi‐Shing Lo, A.C.Y. Wong, A.C.Y. Wong, Hoi‐Shing Lo, A.C.Y. Wong, A.C.Y. Wong, A.C.Y. Wong, Siu Gin Cheung Hoi‐Shing Lo, Siu Gin Cheung Xiaoyu Xu, Siu Gin Cheung Xiaoyu Xu, Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Hoi‐Shing Lo, Siu Gin Cheung Hoi‐Shing Lo, H.M. Liu, Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Hoi‐Shing Lo, Hoi‐Shing Lo, Siu Gin Cheung Hoi‐Shing Lo, H.M. Liu, Hoi‐Shing Lo, Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung A.C.Y. Wong, Siu Gin Cheung A.C.Y. Wong, A.C.Y. Wong, Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Xiaoyu Xu, A.C.Y. Wong, Siu Gin Cheung Hoi‐Shing Lo, Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Hoi‐Shing Lo, Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung Hoi‐Shing Lo, Siu Gin Cheung Hoi‐Shing Lo, Hoi‐Shing Lo, Xiaoyu Xu, Siu Gin Cheung Siu Gin Cheung

Summary

Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution in four rivers across Hong Kong and found that rivers in urbanized areas had significantly higher concentrations of plastic particles than the rural river. The most polluted river contained over 53 plastic particles per liter of water, and contamination levels correlated with the proportion of developed land in surrounding areas. The study suggests that urban development and population density are key drivers of microplastic pollution in city waterways.

Polymers

PE PET

Study Type Environmental

The spatial distribution and abundance of suspected microplastics (SMPs) in the surface water of a metropolitan city, as represented by four Hong Kong rivers, was studied during the dry season. Shing Mun River (SM), Lam Tsuen River (LT), and Tuen Mun River (TM) are located in urbanized areas, and SM and TM are tidal rivers. The fourth river, Silver River (SR) is situated in a rural area. TM had a significantly higher SMP abundance (53.80 ± 20.67 n/L) than the other rivers. The SMP abundance increased from upstream to downstream in non-tidal rivers (LT and SR), but not in tidal rivers (TM and SM), probably due to the tidal influence and a more homogeneous urban development along the tidal rivers. Inter-site differences in the SMP abundance were strongly correlated with the built area ratio (defined as the percentage of surrounding developed land area), human activities, and the nature of the river. About half (48.72 %) of the SMPs were <250 μm. Fibers and fragments were most abundant (>98 %), with most of them being transparent (58.54 %), black (14.68 %), or blue (12.12 %). Polyethylene terephthalate (26.96 %) and polyethylene (20.70 %) were the most common polymers. However, the MP abundance could be overestimated due to the presence of natural fibers. By contrast, an underestimation of the MP abundance could result from a smaller volume of water samples collected, due to a low filtration efficiency caused by high organic content and particle concentrations in the water. A more effective solid waste management strategy and upgrading of the sewage treatment facilities for removing microplastics are recommended to ameliorate the microplastic pollution in local rivers.

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