Plastisphere on microplastics: In situ assays in an estuarine environment

FORERO-LÓPEZ, A.D.; BRUGNONI, L.I.; ABASTO, B.; RIMONDINO, G.N.; LASSALLE, V.L.; ARDUSSO, M.G.; NAZZARRO, M.S.; MARTINEZ, A.M.; SPETTER, C.V.; BIANCALANA, F.; FERNÁNDEZ-SEVERINI, M.D.

JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS.

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2022 vol. 440 p. 129737 - 129737

0304-3894

n this study, the influence of the plastisphere on metals accumulation and weathering processes of polystyrene (PSMPs) and nylon microplastics (NyMPs) in polluted waters during a 129 day-assay were studied. MPs were characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transformed infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, contact angle, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Also Cr, Mn, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Cu in the plastisphere on MPs were analyzed during the assay. Potentially pathogenic Vibrio, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas spp. were abundant in both MPs. Ascomycota fungi (Phona s.l., Alternaria sp., Penicillium sp., and Cladosporium sp.), and yeast, were also identified. NyMPs and PSMPs exhibited a decrease in the contact angle and increased their weights. SEM/EDX showed weathering signs, like surface cracks and pits, and leaching TiO2 pigments from NyMPs after 42 days