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Microplastics pollution and reduction strategies
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Microplastic particles smaller than 5mm—originating from cosmetic microbeads, synthetic fiber washing, and degraded plastic litter—accumulate in aquatic environments and enter human food chains through ingestion by marine fauna including fish, shellfish, and zooplankton. Effective mitigation requires combining source reduction strategies with emerging biodegradation and bioremediation technologies targeting common polymers like polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET.
Microplastic particles smaller than 5 mm in size are of increasing concern, especially in aquatic environments, such as the ocean. Primary source is microbeads (<1 mm) used in cosmetics and cleaning agents and fiber fragments from washing of clothes, and secondary source such as broken down plastic litter and debris. These particles are mostly made from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyesters. They are ingested by diverse marine fauna, including zooplanktons, mussel, oyster, shrimp, fish etc. and can enter human food chains via several pathways. Strategy for control of microplastics pollution should primarily focus on source reduction and subsequently on the development of cost-effective clean up and remediation technologies. Recent research results on biodegradation of plastics have revealed a potential for microbial biodegradation and bioremediation of plastic pollutants, such as PE, PS and PET under appropriate conditions.
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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.