Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.1038/s41598-021-02748-4
Lizenz creative commons licence
Titel (primär) Burial of microplastics in freshwater sediments facilitated by iron-organo flocs
Autor Leiser, R.; Schumann, M.; Dadi, T.; Wendt-Potthoff, K. ORCID logo
Quelle Scientific Reports
Erscheinungsjahr 2021
Department SEEFO
Band/Volume 11
Seite von art. 24072
Sprache englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Supplements https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41598-021-02748-4/MediaObjects/41598_2021_2748_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
Abstract Microplastics are ubiquitous in standing freshwater bodies, consequently lakes and reservoirs may be important sinks for these contaminants. However, the mechanisms governing the deposition of microplastics and their interactions with the sediments are understudied. We demonstrate how aggregation-based transport facilitates the sinking and infiltration of buoyant microplastics into freshwater reservoir sediments by employing experiments with intact sediment cores. Buoyant polyethylene microplastics were rapidly (1–4 h) incorporated into sinking iron-organic aggregates, followed by swift deposition into sediments. Ingression of microplastic bearing flocs into sediments was completed within 6 days and led to stable deposition of the incorporated particles for at least 2 months. Most microplastics were deposited in the top 2 cm of the sediments and few particles (5–15%) were re-released into the water. Our results show at least 85% burial of microplastics, indicating the significant role of freshwaters with low flow velocities in reducing microplastic loads to the oceans.
dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=25369
Leiser, R., Schumann, M., Dadi, T., Wendt-Potthoff, K. (2021):
Burial of microplastics in freshwater sediments facilitated by iron-organo flocs
Sci. Rep. 11 , art. 24072 10.1038/s41598-021-02748-4