Description
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.
- A detailed chronological history of plastic materials from their creation until the present day
- Extensive review and discussion of the existing literature on the interactions of microplastics with chemical pollutants and their effects on aquatic life
- Explanation and provision of the techniques used for the detection, separation and identification of microplastics
- Detailed multidisciplinary information on the way in which plastic materials and microplastics behave in the aquatic environment
- The provision of extensive multidisciplinary reference data relating to plastic materials a
Chapter
About the Author, Christopher Blair Crawford
About the Author, Brian Quinn
1 - The emergence of plastics
The early history of plastics
2 - The contemporary history of plastics
The modern history of plastics
3 - Plastic production, waste and legislation
Global production of plastics
Macroplastic litter legislation
The ASTM International Resin Identification Coding System
4 - Physiochemical properties and degradation
The structure of plastics
Chain-growth (addition polymers)
Step growth (condensation polymers)
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMA) (Fig. 4.20)
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
Polychloroprene (neoprene)
Biotic degradation and biodegradable plastics
Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)
Plastic degrading insects
Plastic degrading microorganisms and fungi
Characteristic weaknesses of common plastics
Photo-oxidative degradation
Atmospheric oxidation and hydrolytic degradation
Susceptibly of plastics in different marine zones
5 - Microplastics, standardisation and spatial distribution
The history of microplastics
Microplastic litter legislation
Microplastic characteristics
Microplastics in the terrestrial environment and the atmosphere
Microplastics in rivers and estuaries
Microplastics in marine surface waters
The mystery of the missing plastic
Microplastics in marine sediments and shorelines
The global abundance of microplastics in marine surface waters and sediments
Weathering of microplastics
6 - The interactions of microplastics and chemical pollutants
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
Classes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)
Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH)
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
Microplastics as vectors for chemical pollutants
The effect of the surface-area-to-volume ratio and weathering
Contaminated microplastics in the aquatic environment
Chlordane contaminated microplastics
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) contaminated microplastics
Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) contaminated microplastics
Perfluoroalkylate contaminated microplastics
Phthalate contaminated microplastics
PAH contaminated microplastics
Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) contaminated microplastics
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated microplastics
Metal and metalloid contaminated microplastics
7 - The biological impacts and effects of contaminated microplastics
Ingestion of contaminated microplastics
The effect of colour on the consumption of microplastics
Translocation and trophic transfer of microplastics
Microplastics as vectors for microorganismsand invasive species
8 - Microplastic collection techniques
Collection of microplastics from the environment
Standardisation of collection techniques
Horizontal sampling of the water column
Vertical sampling of the water column
9 - Microplastic separation techniques
Separation of microplastics from samples
Visual detection and separation
Visual detection and separation from biological material
Chemical and enzymatic digestion
10 - Microplastic identification techniques
Identification of microplastics
Selection criteria to identify microplastics
The standardised size and colour sorting (SCS) system for categorising microplastics
The size and colour sorting (SCS) system procedure
Scanning electron microscope (SEM)
Pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC–MS)
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy
Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy reference spectra for plastic materials
Polyethylene terephthalate (Fig. 10.17)
Polyethylene (Fig. 10.18)
Polyvinyl chloride (Fig. 10.19)
Polypropylene (Fig. 10.20)
Poly(methyl methacrylate) (Fig. 10.22)
Polytetrafluoroethylene (Fig. 10.23)
Polyamide (nylon) (Fig. 10.24)
Near-infrared (NIR) and short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy reference spectra for plastic materials
Polyethylene terephthalate (Fig. 10.28)
Polyethylene (Figs. 10.29 and 10.30)
Polyvinyl chloride (Fig. 10.31)
Polypropylene (Figs. 10.32 and 10.33)
Polytetrafluoroethylene (Fig. 10.35)
Polyamide (nylon) (Figs. 10.36 and 10.37)
Glossary and list of abbreviations
Microplastic Pollutants
Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.
