Distribution and characteristics of microplastics in the basin of Chishui River in Renhuai, China

Jianlong Li; Zhuozhi Ouyang; Peng Liu; Xiaonan Zhao; Renren Wu; Chutian Zhang; Chong Lin; Yiyong Li; Xuetao Guo

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145591

Distribution and characteristics of microplastics in the basin of Chishui River in Renhuai, China

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jun 15:773:145591. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145591. Epub 2021 Feb 5.

Authors

Jianlong Li¹, Zhuozhi Ouyang², Peng Liu², Xiaonan Zhao¹, Renren Wu³, Chutian Zhang², Chong Lin⁴, Yiyong Li⁵, Xuetao Guo⁶

Affiliations

¹ College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
² College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agro-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
³ State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, MEE, Guangzhou 510655, China. Electronic address: wurenren@scies.org.
⁴ College of Urban and Rural Construction, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China.
⁵ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China.
⁶ College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agro-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China. Electronic address: guoxuetao2005@nwafu.edu.cn.

PMID: 33592476
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145591

Abstract

As an emerging pollutant, microplastics widely exist in rivers all over the world. Due to the differences of economic development, economic structure and population in different regions, the abundance of microplastics in rivers is different. In those areas where agriculture is developed, the content of film microplastics is more, while in densely populated areas, the content of fibrous microplastics is more. Taking Renhuai Basin of Chishui River as the research object, the pollution characteristics and current situation of microplastics in the basin were analyzed, and the contamination risk of microplastics was evaluated. The abundance of microplastics in Renhuai basin of Chishui River ranges from 1.77 to 14.33 items/L. The main forms of microplastics were fibrous (59.4%), white (including transparent) (41.3%) and polychromatic (44.1%). The particle size of microplastics was mainly 500- 1000 μm (63.9%). According to the assessment, the risk of microplastics in the basin is 111.79, which is a secondary risk area. This study can provide a further reference for understanding the pollution characteristics of microplastics in rivers.

Keywords: Inland river; Microplastics; Polymer; Risk assessment.