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Microplastic-oil-dispersant agglomerates in the marine environment: Formation mechanism and impact on oil dispersion
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Researchers investigated how microplastics form agglomerates with spilled oil and dispersants in marine environments, identifying two distinct agglomerate types and showing that these formations can significantly affect oil dispersion effectiveness during spill responses.
Microplastics (MPs) can interact with spilled oil to form MP-oil-dispersant agglomerates (MODAs) in oceans. This study investigated the MODA formation mechanism and its impact on oil dispersion during marine oil spill responses. Two types of agglomerates, MODA-1 (MP-in-oil) and MODA-2 (MP-oil droplet-embedded), were identified. The 12 µm-MPs only formed MODA-1, while 45 µm-MPs and 125 µm-MPs formed MODA-1 and MODA-2 due to the surface free energy minimization principle. Impacts of MODA on oil dispersion under different mixing energy levels and seawater salinities were explored. We found that MODA reduced oil dispersion effectiveness under different mixing energy levels. Among three MP sizes, 12 µm-MPs caused the greatest reduction in dispersion effectiveness due to the formation of MODA-1. Pristine 12 µm-MPs reduced dispersion effectiveness by 21.95% under 5.62 × 10 W/kg, while pristine 45 µm-MPs and pristine 125 µm-MPs decreased it by 5.85% and 1.83%, respectively. In addition, MODA formed by pristine MPs has a larger impact on oil dispersion effectiveness than that of aged MPs under different salinities. Under 20psu, pristine 12 µm-MPs reduced dispersion effectiveness by 33.68%, while aged 12 µm-MPs decreased it by 24.61%. This study is the first report on the MODA formation mechanism, which is essential for exploring MODA transport and toxicity through marine trophic levels.
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Laboratory experiments simulated how crude oil spilled at sea behaves differently when microplastics are present, testing the effects of wave energy and chemical dispersant on oil dispersion and sedimentation. Higher wave energy and dispersant doses both increased oil dispersion, but microplastics caused oil droplets to aggregate into heavier particles that sank faster, meaning more oil-microplastic agglomerates reached the seafloor than would otherwise. This interaction could complicate oil spill response and extend ecological damage to deep-sea environments.
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