Nanoplastics and the Marine Environment

Nanoplastics can be classified into primary and secondary nanoplastics, where primary nanoplastics are industrially produced for specific purposes and secondary nanoplastics result from plastic waste via degradation processes. The origin of nanoplastic particles is an important consideration in nanotoxicological assays. Since nanoplastics are generally thought to be produced unintentionally from microscale plastic debris, it is likely that they form aggregates with other natural and/or anthropogenic materials. Nanoplastics can take on a new biological identity in the marine environment, often dictated by the biomolecular species on their surface. Freshwater nanoplastics may display differing surface functionalities and exist in different concentrations than marine nanoplastics. Phototrophs use light as their energy source to synthesize organic compounds and are widely distributed in marine environments. Though phototrophic microorganisms are vitally important to primary production in the marine environment, heterotrophs may also associate with nanoplastics in the marine environment, and trophic transfer is thus also possible.