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Sources of Microplastic in the Environment

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Book cover Microplastics in Terrestrial Environments

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 95))

Abstract

Generally, microplastics (MPs) in the environment come from two main types of source, which lead to different sizes of plastic particles: one is the primary source, and another is the secondary source. However, it is not easy or even impossible to identify the exact source of MPs detected in the environment. Primary sources of environmental MPs include plastic pellets, personal care products containing microbeads, paint, washing wastewater, sewage sludge, plastic running tracks in schools, artificial turf, rubber road in cities, and vehicle tire wear. Meanwhile, secondary sources include municipal debris such as plastic bags and bottles, fishing wastes, farming film, and other large size plastic wastes. Among these sources, vehicle tire wear is regarded as one of the most important sources of environmental microplastic due to the rapid global increase in the number of vehicles. However, available studies about the presence of rubber particles in the environment are very scarce. It is estimated that secondary sources of MPs currently account for the dominant of MPs in the environment although large plastic wastes need hundreds of years to break down into MPs under natural conditions. The appropriate management of plastic wastes and wastewater is the crucial step to prevent and control microplastic pollution in the environment in the future.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support by National Key Research and Development Project of China (2016YFC1402206).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China

    Lihui An

  2. Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China

    Qing Liu & Yixiang Deng

  3. Chongqing University, Chongqing, China

    Wennan Wu

  4. Northeastern University, Shenyang, China

    Yiyao Gao & Wei Ling

Authors
  1. Lihui An
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  2. Qing Liu
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  3. Yixiang Deng
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  4. Wennan Wu
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  5. Yiyao Gao
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  6. Wei Ling
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lihui An .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

    Defu He

  2. Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China

    Yongming Luo

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An, L., Liu, Q., Deng, Y., Wu, W., Gao, Y., Ling, W. (2020). Sources of Microplastic in the Environment. In: He, D., Luo, Y. (eds) Microplastics in Terrestrial Environments. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 95. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2020_449

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