Distribution and Fate of Polyethylene Microplastics Released by a Portable Toilet Manufacturer into a Freshwater Wetland and Lake.

Journal: Water
Published Date: Dec 20, 2023

Abstract

A portable toilet manufacturer in northwest Indiana (USA) released polyethylene microplastic (MP) pollution into a protected wetland for at least three years. To assess the loads, movement, and fate of the MPs in the wetland from this point source, water and sediment samples were collected in the fall and spring of 2021-2023. Additional samples, including sediment cores and atmospheric particulates, were collected during the summer of 2023 from select areas of the wetland. The MPs were isolated from the field samples using density separation, filtration, and chemical oxidation. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy analyses identified the MPs as polyethylene, which were quantified visually using a stereomicroscope. The numbers of MPs in 100 mL of the marsh water closest to the source ranged from several hundred to over 400,000, while the open water samples contained few microplastics. Marsh surface sediments were highly contaminated with MPs, up to 18,800 per 30.0 g dry mass (dm), compared to core samples in the lower depths (>15 cm) that contained only smaller MPs (<200 µm), numbering 0-480 per 30.0 g (dm). The wide variations in loads of MP contaminants indicate the influence of numerous factors, such as proximity to the point source pollution, weather conditions, natural matter, and pollution sinks, namely sediment deposition. As proof of concept, we demonstrated a novel remediation method using these real-world samples to effectively agglomerate and remove MPs from contaminated waters.

Authors

  • Julie R Peller
    Department of Chemistry, Valparaiso University, 1710 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383, USA.
  • Gavin Tabor
    Department of Chemistry, Valparaiso University, 1710 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383, USA.
  • Christina Davis
    Department of Chemistry, Valparaiso University, 1710 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383, USA.
  • Chris Iceman
    Department of Chemistry, Valparaiso University, 1710 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383, USA.
  • Ozioma Nwachukwu
    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
  • Kyle Doudrick
    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
  • Antigone Wilson
    Department of Chemistry, Valparaiso University, 1710 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383, USA.
  • Alyssa Suprenant
    Department of Chemistry, Valparaiso University, 1710 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383, USA.
  • David Dabertin
    Dabertin Law Offices, 5246 Hohman Avenue Suite 302, Hammond, IN 46320, USA.
  • Jon-Paul McCool
    Department of Geography and Meteorology, Valparaiso University, 1809 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383, USA.

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