Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Environment, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan 243002, People's Republic of China.
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Environment, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan 243002, People's Republic of China.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Nov 1;949:175227. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175227. Epub 2024 Aug 2.
As an important emerging pollutant, the fate of microplastics (MPs) in ecosystems is of growing global concern. In addition to hydrodynamics and animals, algae can also affect the transport of MPs in aquatic environments, which could potentially remove MPs from the water column. Although researchers have conducted many studies on the sink of MPs regulated by algae in both marine and freshwater environments, there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding coupled with the increasingly scattered study contents and findings. This review aims to provide a systematic discussion of the processes, mechanisms, and influencing factors, which are coupled with the sink of MPs changes by algae. The main processes identified include retention, flocculation, deposition, and degradation. The retention of MPs is achieved by adhesion of MPs to algae or embedment/encrustation of MPs within the epibiont matrix of algae, thereby preventing MPs from migrating with water currents. The extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and enzymes produced by algal metabolic activities can lead not only to the formation of aggregates containing MPs but also to the biodegradation of MPs. The processes that algae alter the fate of MPs in aquatic environments are very complex and can be influenced by various factors such as algal attributes, microplastic characteristics and environmental conditions. This review provides insights into recent advances in the fate of aquatic MPs and highlights the need for further research on MPs-algae interactions, potentially shortening the knowledge gap in the sink of MPs in aquatic ecosystems.
作为一种重要的新兴污染物，微塑料（MPs）在生态系统中的命运受到越来越多的全球关注。除了水动力和动物，藻类也可以影响 MPs 在水生环境中的迁移，这可能会将 MPs 从水柱中去除。尽管研究人员已经在海洋和淡水环境中对藻类调控的 MPs 汇进行了许多研究，但由于研究内容和发现越来越分散，对其仍然缺乏全面的了解。本综述旨在系统地讨论藻类调控的 MPs 汇变化的过程、机制和影响因素。确定的主要过程包括截留、絮凝、沉积和降解。MPs 的截留是通过 MPs 与藻类的黏附或 MPs 嵌入/包被藻类的附生基质来实现的，从而阻止 MPs 随水流迁移。藻类代谢活动产生的胞外聚合物物质（EPS）和酶不仅可以导致含有 MPs 的聚集体的形成，还可以导致 MPs 的生物降解。藻类改变 MPs 在水生环境中命运的过程非常复杂，会受到藻类特性、微塑料特征和环境条件等各种因素的影响。本综述提供了对水生 MPs 命运的最新进展的深入了解，并强调了需要进一步研究 MPs-藻类相互作用，这可能会缩短水生生态系统中 MPs 汇的知识差距。
