Department of Environmental Engineering, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Oct;30(47):103690-103702. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-29594-3. Epub 2023 Sep 9.
Microplastics (MPs), affecting aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, have spread globally. The atmosphere is known as a pollutant acceptor and carrier among other ecosystems. However, the fate and amount of microplastics in the atmosphere have been the subject of less research. Therefore, it is quite important to study the amount and properties of microplastics in atmospheric fallout. The main purpose of this article is to discover microplastics in fresh snow samples collected in three different regions of Ankara and to identify potential sources of supply. The morphologies and compositions of microplastics were analyzed and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS). μ-Raman spectroscopy was used to reveal the various polymer types of the selected samples. As a result, microplastics were found in all snow samples. Among the nine snow samples examined, 537 particles were recognized as MPs. The average abundance of MPs in snow samples was 59.66 items L. Fibers, fragments, films, and circular forms were found in all snow samples. Fragments predominated for all samples (50.08%), followed by films (28.54%), fibers (16.86%), and circulars (4.50%). The proportion of small plastics was quite high when compared to the large plastics captured by snow. Smaller MP particles found in the snow had more variety, suggesting that the microplastics in the snow samples have been broken down by long-range transport and deposition. Six different polymer types were discovered in the snow samples in this study. The most frequently identified polymer was polyethylene (31%), succedded by polystyrene (28%), and polypropylene (21%). Polyethylene terephthalate (12%), polyvinyl chloride (5%), and nylon were present in smaller proportions.
微塑料（MPs）影响水生和陆地生态系统，已在全球范围内扩散。大气是其他生态系统中的污染物接受者和载体。然而，大气中微塑料的命运和数量一直是研究较少的课题。因此，研究大气沉降物中微塑料的数量和特性非常重要。本文的主要目的是发现收集自安卡拉三个不同地区的新鲜雪样本中的微塑料，并识别潜在的供应源。使用扫描电子显微镜（SEM/EDS）分析和表征微塑料的形态和组成。使用 μ-Raman 光谱揭示所选样品的各种聚合物类型。结果发现，所有雪样本中均存在微塑料。在检查的九个雪样本中，有 537 个颗粒被识别为 MPs。雪样本中 MPs 的平均丰度为 59.66 个 L。所有雪样本中均发现纤维、碎片、薄膜和圆形形态的微塑料。所有样本中碎片均占主导地位（50.08%），其次是薄膜（28.54%）、纤维（16.86%）和圆形（4.50%）。与雪捕获的大塑料相比，小塑料的比例相当高。雪中小的 MPs 颗粒的种类更多，表明雪样中的微塑料已经通过长距离传输和沉积而破裂。本研究在雪样本中发现了六种不同的聚合物类型。最常识别的聚合物是聚乙烯（31%），其次是聚苯乙烯（28%）和聚丙烯（21%）。聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（12%）、聚氯乙烯（5%）和尼龙的含量较小。
