Interaction of Dissolved Organic Matter with Particulate Plastics

The United Nations Environment Programme has identified land-based sources of Particulate plastics (PPs), which make up the majority of them found within the marine environments. PP fragments in the terrestrial and aquatic environments have been known to host a plethora of microorganisms. In terrestrial ecosystems, soil colloidal particles provide a major substrate for biofilm formation, resulting in microbial habitation. Interactions of Dissolved organic matter (DOM) with colloids including PPs impacts aggregation properties of Dissolved organic matter-Particulate plastic assemblages. The aggregation of microplastics enhances the movement of microplastics from surface layers of oceans to deeper depths, and thus is an important factor in the movement and redistribution of microplastics in oceans. However, DOM, in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, interact readily with PPs and forms particulate plastics-DOM assemblages. A wide variety of pollutants, organic and inorganic, has an interactive role with microplastics.