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Plastitar: A new plastic formation that threatens coastal marine environments
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Researchers described a new plastic formation called 'plastitar' — a mixture of petroleum tar and plastic debris found fused together on rocky shores. This novel form of marine plastic pollution represents a previously undescribed threat to coastal ecosystems, both as a physical contaminant and as a potential source of chemical leachates. The discovery adds to the growing list of novel plastic forms being identified in marine environments worldwide.
Nowadays, pollution by microplastics (MPs) constitutes one of the most important environmental problems around the world, being especially visible in the oceans. In recent years, the presence of new plastic formations has been observed as a result of the combination of these materials with others such as rocks, wood or algae, whose effects on marine ecosystems have yet to be determined [1]. In this sense, the presence of tar on coasts around the world has historically been a major problem, since it can adhere to rocks, covering large areas and retaining other materials such as plastic. In this work, the presence of a new type of plastic formation, named here for the first time as "plastitar", was studied during January 2022 in Playa Grande (Tenerife, Canary Islands), a microplastics hotspots of the archipelago [2]. In order to characterize plastitar, the degree of coverage was evaluated using 20 x 20 cm quadrants, observing that plastitar covered a 56% of the sampled area. Microplastics collected from each quadrant were classified according to their shapes and colours, as well as based on their chemical composition, which was determined by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Also tar was analysed using a gas chromatograph coupled to a flame ionization detector. The results revealed that plastitar is mainly composed of tar and microplastics (mainly fragments, pellets and lines) of polyethylene and polypropylene, and to a lesser extent, natural elements such as rocks, sand and wood residues. The physicochemical characteristics of plastitar may increase the degradation time of microplastics and, consequently, their effects on marine ecosystems, making it necessary to carry out further studies on its presence and impact on other coasts of the world [3]. 1. Sci. Total Environ., 2021, 754, 142216. 2. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 2019, 146, 26–32. 3. Sci. Total Environ., 2022, 839, 156261. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/427208/document
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Plastitar: A new threat for coastal environments
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Researchers described 'plastitar,' a novel coastal material formed when oil tar residues solidify and incorporate microplastics, sand, and organic debris on rocky shores, identifying it as an emerging threat to coastal ecosystems because it can concentrate and slowly release both hydrocarbons and plastic pollutants.
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