Mapping of heavy metal contamination associated with microplastics marine debris - A case study: Dubai, UAE

Atta G Attaelmanan; Huda Aslam; Tarig Ali; Lara Dronjak

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164370

Mapping of heavy metal contamination associated with microplastics marine debris - A case study: Dubai, UAE

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Sep 15:891:164370. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164370. Epub 2023 May 24.

Authors

Atta G Attaelmanan¹, Huda Aslam², Tarig Ali², Lara Dronjak³

Affiliations

¹ College of Arts Sciences and Information Technology, University of Khorfakkan, United Arab Emirates. Electronic address: aattaelmanan@sharjah.ac.ae.
² Department of Civil Engineering, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
³ Center of Environmental, Food and Toxicological Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, University Rovira and Virgily, Spain.

PMID: 37236464
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164370

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitously detected in the environment. The adverse impact of microplastics on marine life is well documented. Previous research has shown that MPs can adsorb heavy metals, however, this fact has not been investigated along the coast of Dubai, UAE. Elemental composition of MPs debris was determined using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopic (XRF) analysis. The analyzed MPs were extracted from 80 sediment samples collected from the wrack lines of 16 Dubai, UAE beaches. A total of 480 MPs pieces extracted from the samples were analyzed in order to detect heavy metals. The polymer composition was previously confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy, showing that polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) were the most abundant MPs. 14 heavy metals were identified in the samples: Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pd, and Co with different concentrations. Five of them (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb) are priority pollutants according to EPA. Their average concentrations in oxide form were Cr₂O₃ (2.96 %), NiO (0.32 %), CuO (0.45 %), ZnO (0.56 %), and PbO (1.49 %).

Keywords: Emerging contaminant; Heavy metals; Microplastics pollution; X-ray fluorescence.