We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Gray Water from Ships: A Significant Sea-Based Source of Microplastics?
AI summary Read the abstract
This viewpoint argues that gray water discharged from ships is a significant but underappreciated sea-based source of microplastics, as laundry and dishwashing effluents contain synthetic fibers and plastic fragments that are released directly to ocean waters without treatment.
ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVViewpointNEXTGray Water from Ships: A Significant Sea-Based Source of Microplastics?Guyu Peng*Guyu PengCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China*Email: [email protected]More by Guyu PengView Biographyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5089-5242, Baile XuBaile XuInstitute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstr. 6, D-14195 Berlin, GermanyMore by Baile XuView Biography, and Daoji LiDaoji LiState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, P. R. ChinaMore by Daoji LiView Biographyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3447-3485Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022, 56, 1, 4–7Publication Date (Web):December 13, 2021Publication History Received12 August 2021Published online13 December 2021Published inissue 4 January 2022https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.1c05446https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c05446article-commentaryACS PublicationsCopyright © 2021 American Chemical Society. This publication is available under these Terms of Use. Request reuse permissions This publication is free to access through this site. Learn MoreArticle Views5937Altmetric-Citations5LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail PDF (3 MB) Get e-AlertscloseSUBJECTS:Fibers,Plastics,Wastewater,Water pollution,Water treatment Get e-Alerts
More Papers Like This
Assessment of Microplastic Abundance and Discharge from Greywater of Ships
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers quantified microplastics in ship greywater from showers, washbasins, laundry, and dishwashers and found that laundry sources produced the highest microplastic concentrations. Since greywater can be discharged to the sea without treatment in most areas, ships contribute substantially to marine microplastic pollution. The study supports the case for regulating greywater discharge from vessels.
Occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in greywater from a research vessel
AI summary Read the abstract
Microplastics were found in greywater from a research vessel across multiple water usage types, with laundry water showing the highest microplastic concentrations, identifying ships as an underappreciated sea-based source of microplastic pollution.
Occurrence and Characteristics of Microplastics in in a Ship’s Greywater According to Usage Patterns
AI summary Read the abstract
This study sampled greywater from different ship compartments — galleys, laundries, showers, and washbasins — and found that microplastics were present in all compartments, with laundry being the largest source. The results show that ships discharge significant quantities of microplastics through greywater, which can be legally released directly to the sea in most ocean zones. The findings highlight ships as an important but underregulated source of marine microplastic pollution.
Microplastic generation and emission from ship's greywater
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers measured microplastic abundances and characteristics in greywater from different vessel types — a research vessel, a container ship, and passenger ships — and estimated global microplastic emissions from the discharge of untreated ship greywater. They found a mean abundance of 135,563 particles/m3 in research vessel greywater with fibers comprising about 66% of particles, identifying greywater discharge as a significant and largely unregulated sea-based microplastic source.
Microplastic generation and emission from ship's greywater
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated microplastic concentrations and characteristics in greywater discharged from three vessel types - a research vessel, a container ship, and passenger ships - and estimated total microplastic emissions from global commercial shipping. The study found that untreated ship greywater represents a significant but unregulated sea-based microplastic source, with passenger vessels generating the highest microplastic loads per volume of discharge.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.