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Article Tier 2 Detection Methods Environmental Sources Marine & Wildlife Sign in to save

Microplastics in surface waters of the Wei River, China

E3S Web of Conferences 2021 4 citations

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Researchers measured microplastic concentrations and types in surface waters of the Wei River in China's Shandong Peninsula, finding moderate pollution levels averaging about 0.8 particles per litre. The dominant particles were fibres and fragments, indicating mixed sources from urban runoff and textile waste.

Study Type Environmental

Microplastics are a new type of persistent organic pollutants, usually on the micron scale. In this study, we investigated the abundance, distribution, and other characterization of microplastics in surface waters of the Wei River Basin in the Shandong peninsula. The results showed that the abundance of microplastics in the surface water of Wei River varied from 0.40 to 1.20 items/L, and the average abundance was 0.81 items/L, which was at a moderate pollution level compared with other rivers. It was found that the abundance of microplastics was higher in densely populated areas, and hydrodynamic conditions such as river inflow and seawater scour also affected the abundance of microplastics. Fiber (83.4%) was the dominant type. Colorless (93.6%) was the dominant color type. The particle size (0.06 - 0.5mm) (47.9%) was the main size of microplastics in the Wei River. This study provides data for the further study of microplastics in rivers and provides a warning for the management and prevention of microplastics in freshwater.

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