Microplastics in Freshwater River in Rio de Janeiro and Its Role as a Source of Microplastic Pollution in Guanabara Bay, SE Brazil

Microplastics in Freshwater River in Rio de Janeiro and Its Role as a Source of Microplastic Pollution in Guanabara Bay, SE Brazil

In the present research, the occurrence of contamination by microplastics in the water column was investigated in 15 sample sites along the rivers Guapimirim, Macacu and Maracanã—important rivers that flow into Guanabara Bay, a very polluted estuarine environment in Brazil. The correctidentified pol...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Micro Vol. 3; no. 1; pp. 208 - 223
Main Authors: Drabinski, Thiago L., de Carvalho, Diego G., Gaylarde, Christine C., Lourenço, Marcos F. P., Machado, Wilson T. V., da Fonseca, Estefan M., da Silva, André Luiz Carvalho, Baptista Neto, José Antônio
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 01-03-2023
Subjects:
aquatic pollution
fluvial systems
Guanabara Bay
microplastic
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In the present research, the occurrence of contamination by microplastics in the water column was investigated in 15 sample sites along the rivers Guapimirim, Macacu and Maracanã—important rivers that flow into Guanabara Bay, a very polluted estuarine environment in Brazil. The correctidentified polymers were manually counted and classified as to their morphology and color using a binocular stereomicroscope and were characterized by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The total mean abundance of particles was 3651.5 items m−3, ranging from 3.6 to 51,166.5 items m−3. Plastic debris was identified in all samples, with a predominance of fibers (67.3%). Polyethylene, polyester fiber and high-density polyethylene (50%) were the major polymers, and the main colors were transparent followed by black and blue in all the water bodies studied. The highest quantities of microplastics were found in the Maracanã River. The figures show that microplastic concentrations are correlated to the level of urbanization.
ISSN:2673-8023
2673-8023
DOI:10.3390/micro3010015