EcoSTAq Lab, Biology Department, Badji Mokhtar Annaba University, 23000 Annaba, Algeria.
Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Bahrain, PO Box 32038, Zallaq, Bahrain.
Sci Total Environ. 2020 Apr 15;713:136664. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136664. Epub 2020 Jan 15.
The aim of this research work is to investigate the abundance of macroplastics and microplastics from North African coasts of Mediterranean Sea in the Gulf of Annaba (Algeria). The study areas are well known for the high population and high industrial activities that can contribute to the plastic pollution. In this case, microplastics were sampled from the surface sediments at four different stations representing different local activities. The microplastics were extracted by the density separation method from collected samples. Each particle was identified using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Furthermore, beach litters were obtained according to the adopted methodology - guidance on monitoring of marine litter in European seas. The obtained mean concentrations are 182.66 ± 27.32 and 649.33 ± 184.02 kg sediment (DW), respectively. A detailed spatial and quantitative analysis revealed that their distribution was a function of proximity to populated areas and associated with wastewater effluents, industrial installations, degree of shore exposure and complex tidal flow patterns. Five types of microplastics were identified; the most common were fibers (70%), fragments (21%), pellets (5%), films (2%) and foams (2%). Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis showed that the main polymers detected in the studied microplastics were polyethylene (48%), polypropylene (16%), polyethylene terephthalate (14%), polystyrene (9%), butyl branham (7%), ethylene propylene (3%) and cellulose tri acetate (3%). The obtained results provided a holistic view of the abundance, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in the Gulf of Annaba. This study confirmed the presence of microplastics in the Gulf of Annaba, albeit further studies remain necessary for better understanding of sources and fate.
本研究工作的目的是调查来自地中海北非海岸的安纳巴湾（阿尔及利亚）的大量大型塑料和微塑料。这些研究区域以高人口和高工业活动而闻名，这些活动可能导致塑料污染。在这种情况下，从代表不同当地活动的四个不同站位的表层沉积物中采集微塑料样本。通过密度分离法从收集的样品中提取微塑料。使用傅里叶变换衰减全反射红外光谱（ATR-FTIR）对每个颗粒进行识别。此外，根据采用的方法获得海滩垃圾 - 欧洲海域海洋垃圾监测指南。获得的平均浓度分别为 182.66 ± 27.32 和 649.33 ± 184.02 kg 沉积物（DW）。详细的空间和定量分析表明，它们的分布是与人口稠密地区的接近程度的函数，与废水排放、工业设施、岸线暴露程度和复杂的潮流模式有关。确定了五种类型的微塑料；最常见的是纤维（70％）、碎片（21％）、颗粒（5％）、薄膜（2％）和泡沫（2％）。衰减全反射傅里叶变换红外光谱（ATR-FTIR）分析表明，在所研究的微塑料中检测到的主要聚合物是聚乙烯（48％）、聚丙烯（16％）、聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（14％）、聚苯乙烯（9％）、丁基 branham（7％）、乙烯丙烯（3％）和纤维素三醋酸酯（3％）。获得的结果提供了安纳巴湾微塑料丰度、分布和特征的整体视图。本研究证实了安纳巴湾存在微塑料，但仍需要进一步研究以更好地了解来源和命运。
