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The Way of Macroplastic through the Environment
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This review analyzed entry paths, accumulation zones, and sinks of macroplastic in aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments, filling a gap left by the disproportionate focus on microplastics in current research. Macroplastic is the primary precursor to microplastic formation through fragmentation, making its environmental pathways critical to understanding the full plastic pollution problem.
With the focus on microplastic in current research, macroplastic is often not further considered. Thus, this review paper is the first to analyse the entry paths, accumulation zones, and sinks of macroplastic in the aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environment by presenting transport paths and concentrations in the environment as well as related risks. This is done by applying the Source–Pathway–Receptor model on macroplastic in the environment. Based on this model, the life cycle of macroplastic is structurally described, and knowledge gaps are identified. Hence, current research aspects on macroplastic as well as a sound delimitation between macro- and microplastic that can be applied to future research are indicated. The results can be used as basic information for further research and show a qualitative assessment of the impact of macroplastic that ends up in the environment and accumulates there. Furthermore, the applied model allows for the first time a quantitative and structured approach to macroplastic in the environment.
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This review examines the sources, trends, and environmental fate of plastics and microplastics, which have become a major global pollution problem due to massive production and poor waste management. Understanding how plastics move through the environment is essential for designing effective pollution controls.
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This review examined the poorly understood sources and pathways through which microplastics enter terrestrial and aquatic habitats, arguing that managing plastic pollution at the source requires better identification of where different plastic types originate. The authors call for source-specific monitoring and targeted interventions to reduce microplastic inputs to the environment.
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This review examines the continuum from bulk plastic to microplastic degradation, covering environmental conditions that drive fragmentation, geographic factors influencing distribution, and analytical methods for detecting degradation stage. It identifies a critical gap in understanding the transition from large plastic debris to secondary microplastics and calls for methods to track degradation before full MP formation.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.