The annual global plastic production is estimated to have increased from 1.5 to 390.7 million metric tonnes from 1950 to 2021. Additionally, the inefficient management strategies have resulted in huge plastic waste disposal in the environment in a hostile manner. This study compiles information on how microplastic pollution affects the marine ecosystem, with a particular emphasis on key factors such as the types and sources of microplastics, the mechanisms leading to the degradation of microplastics, their harmful effects on marine biota and humans, the fate of microplastics in the marine environment, and the recent developments in the characterization, separation, and removal of microplastics from the marine environment. The analysis from this study provides a baseline for developing effective microplastic risk management plans. Future research should concentrate on treating and eliminating microplastics before they are discharged into the marine environment since their distribution and abundance in aquatic systems are projected to rise with the increased plastic input into the total environment.
The current study examines the contamination of microplastics in three greenhouse types: abandoned, normal, and simple. The findings revealed that the abundance of microplastics was found to be the highest in the abandoned greenhouse, followed by the normal greenhouse and simple greenhouse. The mean abundance of microplastic organic fertilizer and irrigation water was also high.[…]
The study examines the distribution of residual film after eight years of film mulching in mid-April 2018. Results from the study revealed that eight years of mulching significantly increased the quantity of agricultural mulch film residues in the soil. The size of residual film fragments was found to vary from 0.25 cm2 to 109 cm2,[…]
A study in Yuanmou County, Yunnan Province, investigated microplastic pollution in different land uses, including facility farmland, traditional farmland, orchard, grassland, and woodland. Results showed a significant difference in microplastic abundance and characteristics between different land use types. Facility farmlands, traditional farmlands, and orchard lands had higher microplastic abundance than grasslands and woodlands. The main[…]
The study analysed 225 soil samples from maize planting zones in northern China, revealing that long-term plastic film mulching increases microplastic pollution in agricultural soils. The abundance of microplastics was significantly higher in mulched soils (754 ± 477 items kg-1) than in non-mulched soils (376 ± 149 items kg-1). The length of time with film[…]
The study examined the relative abundances and morphological distributions of microplastics (MPs) in water, sediments, and farmland soils in the Caohai Lake region. The estuary in the study area was considered a potential sink for MP transportation. Transparent and black MPs accounted for a large proportion of MPs in the five environments, with possible sources[…]