Abstract
Microplastics (MP), small plastic particles under 5 mm, are pollutants known to carry heavy metals in ecosystems. Composts are a significant source of soil microplastics. This study examined MSW composts from Kochi and Kozhikode in India for microplastic concentrations and heavy metals’ accumulation thereon. Microplastics were isolated using zinc chloride density separation, with Fenton’s reagent used for organic matter oxidation. Resin types were identified using FTIR analysis that showed the presence of PE, PP, PS, nylon, PET, and allyl alcohol copolymer. In Kozhikode’s compost, the average concentration of microplastics was 840 ± 30 items/kg, while Kochi had 1600 ± 111 items/kg, mainly polyethylene films. PE was the most prevalent resin, comprising 58.3% in Kozhikode and 73.37% in Kochi. Heavy metal analysis of MP showed significant concentrations of lead, cadmium, zinc, copper, and manganese adsorbed on the surface of microplastics. The concentrations of heavy metals in the MP before Fenton oxidation ranged from 1.02 to 2.02 times the corresponding concentrations in compost for Kozhikode and 1.23 to 2.85 times for Kochi. Source apportionment studies revealed that 64% of microplastics in Kozhikode and 77% in Kochi originated from single-use plastics. Ecological risk indices, PLI and PHI, showed that composts from both locations fall under hazard level V. The study revealed that compost from unsegregated MSW can act as a significant source of microplastics and heavy metals in the soil environment, with single-use plastics contributing major share of the issue.
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Data Availability
The authors declare that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and supplementary material submitted with paper. Should any raw data files be needed in another format they are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Abbreviations
- MP:
-
Microplastics
- PLI:
-
Pollution Load Index
- PHI:
-
Polymer Hazard Index
- PERI:
-
Potential Ecological Risk Index
- FTIR-ATR:
-
Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflection
- PE:
-
Polyethylene
- PP:
-
Polypropylene
- PS:
-
Polystyrene
- PET:
-
Polyethylene terephthalate
- AAS:
-
Atomic absorption spectroscopy
- AAC:
-
Allyl alcohol copolymer
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Dilraj Surendran carried out the sampling and laboratory analysis. Dilraj Surendran and George Kuttiparichel Varghese conceived and designed the experimental program. George Kuttiparichel Varghese developed the forensic framework for source tracking. Christian Zafiu formulated the sampling strategy. Dilraj Surendran prepared the draft of the manuscript. George Kuttiparichel Varghese and Christian Zafiu carried out the editing and corrections. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Table S1. Statistical Analysis of Morphology Quantification of microplastics. Table S2. Statistical Analysis of Polymer Quantification of microplastics (DOCX 14 kb)
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Surendran, D., Varghese, G.K. & Zafiu, C. Characterization and source apportionment of microplastics in Indian composts. Environ Monit Assess 196, 5 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-12177-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-12177-7