Plastics And Microplastics

This book covers the topic of microplastics in water and wastewater. The chapters start with introductory issues related to the growing interest in the scientific community on microplastics and the human water cycle and point out where the microplastics could interact with water. The subsequent chapters examine evidence of the microplastic presence in freshwater, such as in both rivers and lakes, in freshwater biota, and hazardous chemicals associated with microplastics in such systems. Another set of chapters discuss the presence of microplastics in wastewater: their sources; their transfer through a wastewater treatment plant; the concentration of microplastics in effluents throughout the world; the plastic biomedia used in wastewater treatment plants and the effect on the surrounding environment of effluent wastewater pipes. These chapters also discuss the sampling methods, the sample treatment and analysis techniques used so far for microplastics in wastewater. Additionally, the presence of microplastics in sewage sludge and in soils irrigated with wastewater or fertilized with sludge are discussed. The possible impact of plastics and their additives on plants, microalgae, and humans are reviewed and presented in a critical way. Finally, a chapter summarizes all the relevant regulations and initiatives that point to the necessity of a global directive for the protection of the environment from plastic and microplastic pollution. The topic of microplastics in freshwater systems and in wastewater has scarcely been studied and requires more attention. Microplastics in Water and Wastewater aims to bring these initial findings to the attention of a broader audience and especially to operators and managers of freshwater and wastewater systems. It will also be helpful to people already aware of the marine debris problem to understand the sources of microplastics in the oceans, from freshwater systems and wastewater treatment plants.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This volume focuses on microscopic plastic debris, also referred to as microplastics, which have been detected in aquatic environments around the globe and have accordingly raised serious concerns. The book explores whether microplastics represent emerging contaminants in freshwater systems, an area that remains underrepresented to date. Given the complexity of the issue, the book covers the current state-of-research on microplastics in rivers and lakes, including analytical aspects, environmental concentrations and sources, modelling approaches, interactions with biota, and ecological implications. To provide a broader perspective, the book also discusses lessons learned from nanomaterials and the implications of plastic debris for regulation, politics, economy, and society. In a research field that is rapidly evolving, it offers a solid overview for environmental chemists, engineers, and toxicologists, as well as water managers and policy-makers.

Plastic plays a vital role in today's world but has become increasingly problematic. Plastics and Microplastics: A Reference Handbook discusses the history and evolution of plastic and its many uses, both in the United States and around the world. Beginning with a history of plastic—from the first scientific discovery of the material to its diversity of forms and uses in the present day—Plastics and Microplastics: A Reference Handbook discusses the history and evolution of plastic and its many uses, both in the United States and around the world. Importantly, it delves into the problems and controversies concerning plastic and microplastics, such as the pollution of oceans, rivers, and streams; its exceptionally long shelf life; its contribution to air pollution; and ingestion of microplastics by marine life. One of the most valuable aspects of the book is its survey of the history of plastics and microplastics conducted in a manner that helps readers to identify key issues to address. Moreover, it discusses both implemented and proposed solutions. A perspectives chapter includes a broad range of voices, allowing crucial, diverse perspectives to round out the author's expertise.

This open access book examines global plastic pollution, an issue that has become a critical societal challenge with implications for environmental and public health. This volume provides a comprehensive, holistic analysis on the plastic cycle and its subsequent effects on biota, food security, and human exposure. Importantly, global environmental change and its associated, systems-level processes, including atmospheric deposition, ecosystem complexity, UV exposure, wind patterns, water stratification, ocean circulation, etc., are all important direct and indirect factors governing the fate, transport and biotic and abiotic processing of plastic particles across ecosystem types. Furthermore, the distribution of plastic in the ocean is not independent of terrestrial ecosystem dynamics, since much of the plastic in marine ecosystems originates from land and should therefore be evaluated in the context of the larger plastic cycle. Changes in species size, distribution, habitat, and food web complexity, due to global environmental change, will likely alter trophic transfer dynamics and the ecological effects of nano- and microplastics. The fate and transport dynamics of plastic particles are influenced by their size, form, shape, polymer type, additives, and overall ecosystem conditions. In addition to the risks that plastics pose to the total environment, the potential impacts on human health and exposure routes, including seafood consumption, and air and drinking water need to be assessed in a comprehensive and quantitative manner. Here I present a holistic and interdisciplinary book volume designed to advance the understanding of plastic cycling in the environment with an emphasis on sources, fate and transport, ecotoxicology, climate change effects, food security, microbiology, sustainability, human exposure and public policy.

This book addresses the emergent need to act on reducing or getting rid of micro plastic pollution, to achieve a sustainable environment. Microplastics are small plastic pieces, which are less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our oceans and aquatic life. These predominantly include microfibers from clothing, microbeads, and plastic pellets. Microplastics impact aquatic creatures, turtles and birds. According to the first study on estimation of human ingestion of microplastic, on average a person consumes at least 50,000 particles of microplastic a year and breathes a similar quantity. Ingested microplastic particles can physically damage organs and also compromise immune function and stymie growth and reproduction. This book presents six informative chapters in order to alleviate the above mentioned issues​.

Plastic plays a vital role in today's world but has become increasingly problematic. Plastics and Microplastics: A Reference Handbook discusses the history and evolution of plastic and its many uses, both in the United States and around the world. Beginning with a history of plastic—from the first scientific discovery of the material to its diversity of forms and uses in the present day—Plastics and Microplastics: A Reference Handbook discusses the history and evolution of plastic and its many uses, both in the United States and around the world. Importantly, it delves into the problems and controversies concerning plastic and microplastics, such as the pollution of oceans, rivers, and streams; its exceptionally long shelf life; its contribution to air pollution; and ingestion of microplastics by marine life. One of the most valuable aspects of the book is its survey of the history of plastics and microplastics conducted in a manner that helps readers to identify key issues to address. Moreover, it discusses both implemented and proposed solutions. A perspectives chapter includes a broad range of voices, allowing crucial, diverse perspectives to round out the author's expertise.

The second edition of the book has been revised with a comprehensive study guide. The guide provides for each chapter the following sections: Aim, Expected results, Key concepts, Study plan, Additional Bibliography, Self-Assessment exercises and activities. Indicative answers and responses are placed at the end of the study guide. The book covers in detail the topic of microplastics in water and wastewater. There is a growing interest of the scientific community on microplastics. Most of the studies identified the problems due to microplastics in the marine environment. However, considering that most microplastics are produced on land, similar problems should be encountered in freshwater systems and wastewater treatment plants that at the same time are the sources of marine microplastics. The human water cycle and points where the microplastics could interact with water will be presented as the introductory chapter. The subsequent chapters will examine evidence of the microplastics presence in freshwater such as both rivers and lakes and also, hazardous chemicals associated with microplastics in such systems. The following chapters will discuss the presence of microplastics in wastewater, their sources, their transfer through a wastewater treatment plant, their concentration in effluents throughout the world, and their distribution and effects on the surrounding environment of effluent wastewater pipes. Further chapters will discuss the sampling methods, the sample treatment and analysis techniques used so far for identifying microplastics in wastewater. Additionally, the presence of microplastics in sewage sludge and in soils irrigated with wastewater or fertilized with sludge, as well as the possible effects on plants and human health will be discussed. A concluding chapter will discuss the necessity for plastics strategies.

Microplastic Pollutants introduces the reader to the growing problem of microplastic pollution in the aquatic environment and is the first ever book dedicated exclusively to the subject of microplastics. Importantly, this timely full-colour illustrated multidisciplinary book highlights the very recent realization that microplastics may transport toxic chemicals into food chains around the world. Microplastic pollutants is currently an important topic in both industry and academia, as well as among legislative bodies, and research in this area is gaining considerable attention from both the worldwide media and scientific community on a rapidly increasing scale. Ultimately, this book provides an excellent source of reference and information on microplastics for scientists, engineers, students, industry, policy makers and citizens alike.