We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
A proxy-based approach to predict spatially resolved emissions of macro- and microplastic to the environment
Summary
Using land-use statistics, traffic data, and wastewater infrastructure as proxies, researchers created high-resolution maps of microplastic and macroplastic emissions across Switzerland at the regional level. The approach reveals that plastic pollution is concentrated near urban and high-traffic areas but varies substantially by polymer type and emission source.
Large disparities on micro- and macroplastic concentrations are to be expected between residential, industrial, natural and agricultural areas, since specific uses of plastic will determine the magnitude of the corresponding emissions. The aim of this work was to develop a method to regionalize emissions of macroplastic and microplastic for soil, freshwater and air using geographical datasets on land-use statistics, traffic and population densities, wastewater treatment plants and combined sewer overflows as proxies. High resolution maps of the emissions were then generated for micro- and macroplastic using emission data available for Switzerland for seven commonly used polymers (low-density-polyethylene, high-density-polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, polyvinyl-chloride and polyethylene-terephthalate). Most of the emissions can be found in areas with high human activity, but the influence of the different proxies varies for each polymer. The median emission rate of macroplastic on soil varies from 0.0006 to 0.06 kg/ha/year, whereas no emission flows are predicted for more than 50% of the raster cells for microplastic regardless of the polymer, but the maxima can reach up to 12.7 kg/ha/a in the case of HDPE. The average emission rate of macroplastic along river segments ranges between 0.062 kg/km/a and 1.5 kg/km/a. For microplastic, the average emission rate varies from 0.0025 kg/km/a to 0.11 kg/km/a. The analysis reveals that a significant deviation is expected if the population density is used as only proxy. The correlation between the population density and the predicted emissions is only r = 0.16-0.23 for a cell size of 100 × 100 m and goes up to r = 0.86-0.88 for a resolution of 10 km, however an r of only 0.56-0.68 is observed for those polymers used a lot in agriculture such as HDPE and PP. The emission maps obtained in this work can serve as input to regionalized fate models for macro- and microplastics.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
A local-to-global emissions inventory of macroplastic pollution.
This study developed a high-resolution global inventory of macroplastic pollution by distributing nationally reported waste management data down to sub-national and local scales, producing maps of plastic emission hotspots. The dataset is intended to support negotiations for a global plastics treaty by providing a data-driven baseline for identifying sources and prioritizing interventions.
Using Dynamic Release Modeling to Predict Historic and Current Macro- and Microplastic Releases
Researchers developed a Dynamic Probabilistic Material Flow Analysis model coupled with a release model to quantify historic and current macro- and microplastic emissions in Switzerland, providing a companion dataset to a publication in Resources, Conservation and Recycling.
Predicting microplastic masses in river networks with high spatial resolution at country level
Scientists built a computer model to predict microplastic levels in every section of Switzerland's rivers and lakes for seven different plastic types. They found that the amount of microplastics in any given spot depends heavily on local features like nearby lakes, land use, and river connections, not just population density. This kind of detailed mapping helps identify pollution hotspots and assess where human exposure through drinking water might be highest.
High-Resolution Mapping of Japanese Microplastic and Macroplastic Emissions from the Land into the Sea
Researchers developed a high-resolution method to map microplastic and macroplastic emissions from Japanese river catchments into the sea, using correlations between observed river concentrations and basin characteristics such as urban area ratio and population density to generate nationwide plastic emission estimates.
Using Dynamic Release Modeling to Predict Historic and Current Macro- and Microplastic Releases
Researchers developed a Dynamic Probabilistic Material Flow Analysis model coupled with a release model to quantify historic and current macro- and microplastic emissions in Switzerland, providing a dataset tracking plastic releases across product lifecycles.