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Raman microspectroscopic identification of microplastic particles in freshwater bivalves (Unio pictorum) exposed to sewage treatment plant effluents under different exposure scenarios

Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2018 45 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 45 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Philipp Anger, Janina Domogalla-Urbansky, Natalia P. Ivleva Philipp Anger, Reinhard Nießner, Alexandra C. Wiesheu, Philipp Anger, Natalia P. Ivleva Philipp Anger, Janina Domogalla-Urbansky, Natalia P. Ivleva Philipp Anger, Natalia P. Ivleva Philipp Anger, Philipp Anger, Alexandra C. Wiesheu, Alexandra C. Wiesheu, Philipp Anger, Philipp Anger, Reinhard Nießner, Natalia P. Ivleva Philipp Anger, Philipp Anger, Alexandra C. Wiesheu, Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Reinhard Nießner, Reinhard Nießner, Philipp Anger, Philipp Anger, Hermann Ferling, Hermann Ferling, Philipp Anger, Reinhard Nießner, Natalia P. Ivleva Reinhard Nießner, Natalia P. Ivleva Reinhard Nießner, Reinhard Nießner, Florian Rager, Natalia P. Ivleva Reinhard Nießner, Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Florian Rager, Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Philipp Anger, Philipp Anger, Reinhard Nießner, Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Reinhard Nießner, Natalia P. Ivleva Alexandra C. Wiesheu, Julia Schwaiger, Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Reinhard Nießner, Reinhard Nießner, Reinhard Nießner, Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Julia Schwaiger, Natalia P. Ivleva Julia Schwaiger, Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva Natalia P. Ivleva

Summary

Researchers used Raman microspectroscopy to assess microplastic uptake in freshwater mussels (Unio pictorum) placed upstream and downstream of a sewage treatment plant, finding very low levels only in mussels directly exposed to plant effluent, suggesting this particular treatment facility contributes minimal microplastic contamination to the surrounding river environment.

We investigated the uptake of microplastic (MP, <5 mm) particles by using freshwater bivalves (Unio pictorum) as biological samplers in the environment. They were exposed either directly to the biologically purified sewage of a North Bavarian sewage treatment plant (STP) or placed in a small river up- and downstream of the wastewater discharge for 28 days and 6 months, respectively. A control group was maintained in a pond. After acid digestion, the soft tissue was analyzed for MP particles by means of Raman microspectroscopy (RM, over 3000 particles individually measured), which allows for identification and quantification of particles down to 1 μm. Only in the bivalve collective exposed to STP effluents MP was found, however a very small amount (maximum of nine MP particles in the bivalve sample exposed for 6 months). In the bivalves up- and downstream of the wastewater discharge and in control organisms from a pond, no microplastic was identified. The amount of microplastic particles was small in absolute terms and small in relative terms (ca. 1:100 (6 months) and below 1:1000 (28 days)) as hundreds of particles per sample were analyzed which turned out to be non-plastic. Including the results for the river, this indicates a rather low MP contamination level for organisms in close vicinity to a sewage treatment plant.

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