Microplastics in freshwater sediments of Atoyac River basin, Puebla City, Mexico

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

141 Scopus citations

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are contaminants of emerging concern in aquatic environments. The abundance, distribution and characteristics (color, morphology, texture) of MPs from Atoyac River basin, a highly urbanized river system located in Central Mexico were investigated in this study. The sediment samples were collected from 29 different sites along the Atoyac River basin in four different zones: Zahuapan River, Atoyac River, Confluence zone and Valsequillo dam and processed for MPs extraction using ZnCl 2 density separation method. The total number of MPs in Zahuapan River, Atoyac River, Confluence zone and Valsequillo dam was 1633.34 ± 202.56, 1133.33 ± 72.76, 833.33 ± 80.79 and 900 ± 346.12 items kg −1 respectively. It was found that the concentration of MPs is higher in the downstream section of the river (confluence zone: 833.33 ± 80.79 & Valsequillo dam: 900 ± 346.12 items kg −1 ), revealing significant impacts of dense population and industrial complex of Puebla City. Colored MPs were predominant accounting for 51% and white MPs for 49% of the total MPs. Films (25.9%) and fragments (22.2%) were the most abundant type followed by fibers (14.8%). Scanning electron microscope images revealed varying disintegration features and energy-dispersive X-ray spectra demonstrated the presence of different metal elements on the surface of MPs. The results highlighted the widespread distribution of MPs in the sediments of Atoyac River basin, Mexico.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)154-163
Number of pages10
JournalScience of the Total Environment
Volume654
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Mar 2019

Keywords

  • Atoyac River basin
  • Emerging contaminant
  • Mexico
  • Microplastics
  • SEM/EDX
  • Sediments

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Microplastics in freshwater sediments of Atoyac River basin, Puebla City, Mexico'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this