3. Introduction to my project
Aim
To under take primary research for microplastics on North
Devon beaches with North Devon AONB.
Hypothesis
That there is a positive correlation between microplastic
concentrations and particle size along the beach profile.
4. Background on sources
Microplastics are defined<5mm (Thompson et al., 2004)
Microbeads from personal care and household products
(Thompson et al., 2004)
Nurdle spillages during transportation (US EPA, 1992).
Synthetic fibres from washing clothes and textile industry
(Browne et al., 2011)
Fragmenting plastic debris
Figure 1: Microbeads in
cosmetics (Lupkin, 2014).
Figure 3: Rayon
Microfibre.
Figure 4: Fragment
pieces of micoplastic.
Figure 2: Nurdles
(Campbell, 2012).
5. Pathways
Microplastics are able to pass through the sewage
treatment plants and end up accumulating in the world’s
oceans, gyres and reservoirs (MCS, 2012).
Figure 5: Outfall pipe discharge waste water
(Hussey, 2009).
6. Toxicology
Partitioning of trace metals and hydrophobic persistent
organic pesticides
Figure 6: Partitioning of chemicals between
plastics, biota and seawater (Leslie et al., 2011).
7. Receptors
Vertebrates ingest microplastic (Gregory, 2009).
Potential toxicity from leaching constituent contaminants
are capable of causing carcinogenesis and endocrine
disruption (Oehlmann et al., 2009; Talsness et al., 2009)
Toxins present on microplastics bioaccumulate into
trophic levels (Wright et al., 2013)
Have the potential to concentrate in humans who
consume marine organisms.
Figure 6: Ingested microplastic in a Zooplankton (Cole et
al., 2013)
8. Field Work Methodology
Samples were taken from the low water mark up to the
strandline, from Woolacombe Bay and Wilder Mouth.
At each beach, 11 samples for microplastics which were
collected in 500 ml glass bottles (Figure 7) and 2-3 litres
of sediment where collected in 5 L plastic containers for
sediment particle analysis.
Figure 7: Microplastic sampling at Woolacombe Bay
10. Microplastic Laboratory Work
Figure 9: Mini pore
filtration unit
Figure 10: Fibre
picking using
microscope
Figure 11: Bruker IFs66
Fourier transform-infrared
(FT-IR) spectrometer used
for fibre analysis
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
11. Particle Size Laboratory Work
Figure 12: Sieving for particle size.
Figure 13: Sieved samples <
1mm prepared for particle size
analysis using malvern 2000.
Stage 1 Stage 2
13. Results
Figure: 16 Particle size distribution triangle
Wilder Mouth
Woolacombe Bay
% mud
30
20
10
0
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
(s)mG (m)sG
(s)gM (m)gS
smG
gsM gmS
(vg)(m)S(vg)mS(vg)sM(vg)(s)M
(g)(s)M (g)sM (g)mS (g)(m)S
gSgM
S
M (vm)S
(vg)(vm)S
(vg)S
(m)SmS
(g)M
(vg)(vs)M
(vg)M
(vs)M (s)M sM
G
(s)(m)G
sGmG
(m)G (s)G
(vs)G
(vm)G (vs)(vm)G
G
S
M
gravel
sand
mud
gravelly
sandy
muddy
g
s
m
(g)
(s)
(m)
slightly gravelly
slightly sandy
slightly muddy
(vg)
(vs)
(vm)
very slightly gravelly
very slightly sandy
very slightly muddy
Blott & Pye (2012) Classification
14. Discussion
Primary research which discovered microplastics
New method of sampling looking at the beach profile
Hypothesis was not proven due to limited samples and
no replication of samples in laboratory due to time
constraints
The presence of fibres and not fragments, derived from
sewage.
High percentage of cellulosic fibres which are rayon and
therefore not true microplastics
Fibres are denser therefore associated with being in
sediment (Woodall et al., 2014).
15. Summary of conclusions
No statistically significant correlation between
microplastics and particle size.
Further work looking at the beach profile by zoning
the beach to see weather microplastics are
distributed in different zones of the beach
Further research into seasonal differences.
Further research into rayon characteristics and
behaviour in the marine environment due to their
high abundance.
16. Reference List
Browne, M., Crump, P., Niven, S., Teuten, E., Tonkin, A. & Galloway, T.
(2011). Accumulation of microplastic on shorelines worldwide: sources and
sinks. Environmental Science & Technology, 45(21), 9175-9179.
Campbell, K. (2012). Nurdles - The Last Wilderness. [online] The Last
Wilderness. Available at: http://www.lastwilderness.net/talking-
story/blog/nurdles/ [Last Accessed 16 Feb. 2015].
Cole, M., Lindeque, P., Fileman, E., Halsband, C., Goodhead, R., Moger, J.
and Galloway, T. (2013). Microplastic Ingestion by
Zooplankton. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(12), pp.pp 6646–
6655.
University of Edinburgh (2015). Digimap Home Page. [online] Available at:
http://digimap.edina.ac.uk/digimap/home [Last Accessed 16 Feb. 2015].
Hussey, M. (2009). Front Strand residents frustrated. [online]
YoughalOnline.com. Available at:
http://www.youghalonline.com/2009/01/03/front-strand-residents-frustrated-
by-outfall-pipe-delay/ [Last Accessed 16 Feb. 2015].
17. Reference List
Lupkin, S. (2014). New York May Ban Microbeads in Facial Scrubs. [online]
ABC News. Available at: http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/york-ban-
microbeads-facial-scrubs/story?id=22467638 [Accessed 16 Feb. 2015].
Thompson, R., Olsen, Y., Mitchell, R., Davis, A., Rowland, S. & John, A.
(2004). Lost at sea: where is all the plastic? Science 304 (5672), 838.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). (1992). Plastic
pellets in the aquatic environment: Sources and recommendations.
Environmental Protection Agency: Oceans and Coastal Protection Division
Final Report 842-B-92-010. Washington, DC.
Woodall, L., Sanchez-Vidal, A., Canals, M., Paterson, G., Coppock, R.,
Sleight, V., Calafat, A., Rogers, A., Narayanaswamy, B. and Thompson, R.
(2014). The deep sea is a major sink for microplastic debris. Royal Society
Open Science, 1(4),140317-140317.
80% of marine litter comes from land and this incorporates microplastics
Figure 6 shows the partitioning of chemicals between plastic, biota and seawater (Leslie et al., 2011); trace metals accumulate directly in the surface microlay er (Wurl and Obbard, 2004).
Microplastics are liable to concentrate to hydrophobic persistent organic pesticides (POPs) in seawater by partitioning (Figure 1) (Anthony & Andrady 2011).
Vertebrates ingest microplastics, causing internal and external abrasion leading to ulcers; blockages of microplastics in the digestive tract result in weakening of feeding ability, starvation and physical deterioration, reduced predator avoidance, the potential transfer of damaging toxicants from seawater and death (Gregory, 2009).
Potential toxicity from ingested microplastics comes from leaching constituent contaminants, such as monomers and plastic additives, which are capable of causing carcinogenesis and endocrine disruption (Oehlmann et al., 2009; Talsness et al., 2009).
Furthermore, marine organisms ingest microplastics and the toxins present in microplastics bioaccumulate into the food chain (Wright et al., 2013); microplastics could therefore potentially concentrate in humans who consume marine organisms.
Field work
The equipment used was quadrats x 2 , steel trowels x 2 , 50 m tape measure x 1, 500 ml glass bottles x 22 and 5 L plastic containers x 22.
Samples where taken from the low water mark up to the strandline.
At each beach, 11 samples for microplastics were collected in 500 ml glass bottles (figure 3) and 2-3 litres of sediment where collected in 5 L plastic containers for sediment particle analysis.
Laboratory work
Density separation was carried out: 300 ml of NaCl was added to 100 g of sample and then filtered through a pore filtration system. Samples where put in a 40oC oven for 24 hours.
Figure 4 shows microfibers which where removed using x 30 microscope, placing them onto a GF/F Whatman filter.
FT-IR was used for analysis of polymer type.
The sediment collected in 5 L containers will be wet and dry sieved to determine the particle size for each sample.
Site where chosen based on there sediment charatistics as I wanted to see weather there is a difference in microplastic concentration due to particle size
Vianello et al., (2013) says that microplastics are associated with finer particle size.
Wilder Mouth is a gravel beach
Woolacombe is a sand beach
Both tourist destinations
Outfall pipe on wilder mouth with urban Victorian infrastructure
Woolacombe has sand beach therefore attraction for holiday makers
Stage 1: Density separation of sediment to remove microplastic filter using a vacuum and GF/A whatman filter (Size)
Stage 2: Picking individual fibres from placing into pertre dishes
Stage 3: FT-IR analysis where by each individual fibre was analysis against a Spectra were then library searched against two Bruker libraries, BPAD.SO1 and Synthetic Fibres ATR Library. SO1 Matches with quality index greater than or equal to 0.7 were accepted. Matches with
quality index less than 0.7, but greater than or equal to 0.6 were individually inspected and interpreted based on the closeness of their absorption frequencies to those of chemical bonds in the known polymers.
Matches with quality index less than 0.6 were rejected.
Stage 1: is using a range of sieves and a sieve shaker
Stage 2: is preparation for using the Marlven 2000 which determines particle size less than 1mm.
For both beaches cellulosic fibres are the most abundant fibres which consist predominantly of rayon indicating sources from sewage as fibres are from nappies and tampons however celluloic fibre are not true microplasitc but the FT-IR cannot determined weather the fibres are natural or synthetic. However there are microplastic fibres are present. In my sample there were only fibres present.
I under took correlation test between microplastics volume against the average % particles size. For both beaches there is no correlation due
Figure 14: Woolacombe Bay P-Value = 0.221
Figure 15: Wilder mouth P-Value = 0.272
Figure 16 shows the particle size distribution
For woolacombe bay the particle size is sandy
For wilder mouth the particle size varies from sandy gravelly to gravel
From this research I cannot conclude the correlation between microplastics and particle size, however microplastic are present in North Devon beaches
I am planning to undertake further work looking at the beach profile by creating subzone of the beach to see weather microplastic are distributed in different zone of the beach
Microplastic are present, however further research into seasonal differences is requires as sample where taken during summer. To see if weather conditions contribute to the distribution and deposition of different types of microplastics. As well as more research into rayon characteristics and behaviour in the marine environment due to their high abundance.
