Chemical composition of microplastics floating on the surface of the Mediterranean Sea
| Type | Article | ||||||||||||
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| Date | 2022-01 | ||||||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||||||
| Author(s) | Kedzierski Mikaël1, Palazot Maialen1, Soccalingame Lata1, Falcou-Préfol Mathilde2, Gorsky Gabriel3, 5, Galgani Francois 4, Bruzaud Stéphane1, Pedrotti Maria Luiza5 |
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| Affiliation(s) | 1 : Université Bretagne Sud, UMR CNRS 6027, IRDL, F-56100 Lorient, France 2 : University of Antwerp, Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research (SPHERE), 2020 Antwerp, Belgium 3 : Sorbonne Universités, UMR CNRS 7093, LOV, F-06230 Villefranche sur mer, France 4 : IFREMER, LER/PAC, F-20600 Bastia, France 5 : Research Federation for the study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans-GOSEE, Paris, France |
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| Source | Marine Pollution Bulletin (0025-326X) (Elsevier BV), 2022-01 , Vol. 174 , P. 113284 (12p.) | ||||||||||||
| DOI | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113284 | ||||||||||||
| WOS© Times Cited | 18 | ||||||||||||
| Keyword(s) | Microplastics, Mediterranean Sea, FTIR, Chemical composition, Poly(ethylene) | ||||||||||||
| Abstract | The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most studied regions in the world in terms of microplastic (MP) contamination. However, only a few studies have analysed the chemical composition of MPs at the Mediterranean Sea surface. In this context, this study aims to describe the chemical composition as a function of particle size, mass and number concentrations of MPs collected in the surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The chemical composition showed a certain homogeneity at the Mediterranean Sea scale. The main polymers identified by Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy were poly(ethylene) (67.3 ± 2.4%), poly(propylene) (20.8 ± 2.1%) and poly(styrene) (3.0 ± 0.9%). Nevertheless, discrepancies, confirmed by the literature, were observed at a mesoscale level. Thus, in the North Tyrrhenian Sea, the proportion of poly(ethylene) was significantly lower than the average value of the Mediterranean Sea (57.9 ± 10.5%). Anthropic sources, rivers, or polymer ageing are assumed to be responsible for the variations observed. |
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