Quantification and characterization of microplastics (MPs) pollution in peri-uburban agricultural lands of Lahore, Pakistan

Microplastics (MPs) contaminate every conceivable terrestrial and aquatic environment including high peaks and deep marine trenches. Agricultural lands alone are expected to receive plastic up to 23 times more than ocean basins. In this study, soil samples were collected from peri-urban agricultural...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2023-10, Vol.18 (10), p.e0291760-e0291760
Main Authors: Luqman, Muhammad, Shahid, Tehreem, Awan, Muhammad Umer Farooq, Kashif, Saif Ur Rehman, Arooj, Fariha, Awan, Ali Raza
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural ecosystems
Agricultural industry
Agricultural land
Aquatic environment
Biology and Life Sciences
Canals
Chemicals
Composition
Contamination
Earth Sciences
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Environmental aspects
Farms
Fibers
Foams
Fourier transforms
Infrared analysis
Infrared spectroscopy
Microplastics
Ocean basins
PCB
Physical Sciences
Plastic debris
Plastic pollution
Political activity
Political aspects
Pollution
Polycarbonate
Polycarbonates
Polychlorinated biphenyls
Polyesters
Polyethylene
Polyethylene terephthalate
Polylactic acid
Polymers
Polypropylene
Polystyrene
Polystyrene resins
Polyurethane resins
Polyvinyl chloride
Raw materials
Social Sciences
Soil contamination
Soil pollution
Spectroscopy
Statistical analysis
Toxicity
Ultraviolet radiation
Urban agriculture
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Summary:Microplastics (MPs) contaminate every conceivable terrestrial and aquatic environment including high peaks and deep marine trenches. Agricultural lands alone are expected to receive plastic up to 23 times more than ocean basins. In this study, soil samples were collected from peri-urban agricultural lands of Lahore on four sides including Kala Shah Kaku (KSK), Punjab University (PU), Dera Gujran (DG), and Sagian (SG). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) protocol was used for MPs extraction and analysis. Extracted MPs were analyzed under microscope at 40X magnification and their composition was analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. A considerable concentration of MPs was recorded at all sites. The highest contamination was found at SG with 876 ±194 MPs/kg of soil, and the lowest contamination was recorded at PU with 672 ±235 MPs/kg of soil. However, these differences among the sites were not statistically significant (p = 0.29). The overall predominant shape of MPs was fibers (613±71, 79.73%) followed by sheets (125±55, 16.28%), fragments (30±5, 3.9%) and foam particles (1±2, .09%). The differences in the distribution of MPs in various types were statistically significant (p = 0), while differences between sites were insignificant (p = 0.13). About 95% of MPs were less than 2 mm and 85% were less than 1 mm size. The distribution of MPs in various sizes (p = 0) and differences of this distribution between sites (p = 0.037) were both statistically significant. A good diversity of nine colored MPs was recorded, however majority of the MPs were transparent (89.57%). Six polymer including Polyethylene (PE), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Polycarbonate (PC), and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) were identified by FTIR. The current levels of MPs pollution are higher than in many other parts of the world. Composition of MPs (types, colors, sizes, and polymer types) indicates the diversity of their sources and their possible implications on agricultural ecosystem.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0291760