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Microplastics in the Lut and Kavir Deserts, Iran

Environmental Science & Technology 2021 103 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 50 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Hoda Amiri, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Hoda Amiri, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Mohammad Hoseini, Mohammad Hoseini, Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Hoda Amiri, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Hoda Amiri, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Sajjad Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Hoda Amiri, Sajjad Abbasi, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner

Summary

Researchers collected soil samples from various geomorphological features in Iran's Lut and Kavir deserts — two of the most remote and arid environments on Earth — and found microplastics at all sites, demonstrating that plastic contamination has reached even extreme desert environments far from human activity.

Polymers
PA PE PET nylon

Although microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants, little is known about their occurrence and behavior in the terrestrial setting. In this study, MPs have been isolated from soils collected from various geomorphological features (yardangs, sand dunes, moving sands, seasonal lakes) of the Kavir and Lut Deserts on the Iranian plateau. The number of MPs identified in 300 g samples ranged from zero (not detected) in several yardang tops to 25 on some yardang hillsides, with an overall average abundance of about 0.02 MP g<sup>-1</sup>. The majority of MPs were of a fibrous nature with a size distribution (≤100 μm to ≥1000 μm) skewed toward the lower end, and analysis of a selection of particles by μ-Raman spectroscopy showed that polyethylene terephthalate and Nylon (polyamide) were the principal polymers. Scanning electron microscopy revealed intense degradation of some particles but limited weathering of others. With little evidence of meso- and macroplastics in the deserts, it appears that the majority of MPs are brought into these environments from distant sources via the wind, with smaller, seasonal contributions from runoff associated with the adjacent mountains. It is proposed that some windborne MPs are transported through the deserts relatively rapidly, while others are subject to internal recycling and significant photo-oxidation and mechanical weathering.

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