PhD Program in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Dept. of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Italy; Laboratory of Experimental Ecology and Aquaculture, Dept. of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Italy.
Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Italy.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Jan;198:115784. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115784. Epub 2023 Nov 27.
Accurate identification and quantification of microplastic pollution in marine sediments are crucial for assessing their ecological impact. In this study, we explored the potential of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as an analytical tool for the analysis of microplastics in complex environmental matrices such as marine sediments. Two common plastic polymers, polystyrene (PS) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), were investigated. The marine sediments facing the Tiber River mouth (Italy) were collected according to a bathymetric gradient. Results demonstrated the successful detection and quantification of PS in all sediment samples (within a range of 12.3-64.6 μg/L), while no ABS significant signals were found. An increment trend with depth was observed in the PS signal, relatable to its physicochemical properties and the Tiber River plume hydrodynamic characteristics. The NMR's non-destructive nature and minimal sample preparation represent a promising avenue for standardizing protocols to assess the microplastic distribution and impact in marine sediments.
准确识别和量化海洋沉积物中的微塑料污染对于评估其生态影响至关重要。在这项研究中，我们探讨了核磁共振（NMR）光谱作为一种分析工具的潜力，用于分析海洋沉积物等复杂环境基质中的微塑料。我们研究了两种常见的塑料聚合物，聚苯乙烯（PS）和丙烯腈-丁二烯-苯乙烯（ABS）。根据水深梯度，采集了位于意大利台伯河口附近的海洋沉积物。结果表明，成功地检测和定量了所有沉积物样品中的 PS（范围在 12.3-64.6μg/L 之间），而没有发现 ABS 的显著信号。PS 信号随深度呈现出递增趋势，这与 PS 的物理化学性质和台伯河羽状流的水动力特征有关。NMR 的非破坏性和最小的样品制备特点代表了一种有前途的方法，可以制定标准协议来评估海洋沉积物中的微塑料分布和影响。
