Microplastics is a collective term for the rapidly accumulating micrometer-sized plastic particles from industrial processes, household release and the breakdown of larger plastic items. Since organisms generally cannot degrade or eliminate these chemically inert pollutants, efforts to limit their impact focus on the prevention of their generation and slowing down their release and distribution.
Microplastics in the Environment: Fate, Impacts, Removal, and Management provides the readers with an understanding of the occurrence and fate of microplastics in the environment and possible management strategies. It is organized into three main parts. Part 1 deals with the fundamental ideas regarding microplastics, including their classification, major sources, their detection and characterization, as well as risk assessment methods. The second part covers the fate and transport of microplastics in various environmental domains, their interaction with ecosystems, and the exposure of humans to environment-borne microplastics. The final part surveys current and future approaches to limit and remove the environmental effects of microplastics. A wide range of measures is discussed here, from replacement of plastics with biodegradable substitutes to more efficient recycling of plastics to their active removal and remediation. With its emphasis on management and remediation, this book is a valuable one-stop resource for environmental scientists, government agencies and researchers working in the field of microplastics pollution.
Table of Contents
SECTION I: THE EXISTENCE AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MICROPLASTICS Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview of the Book Chapter 2: Classifications and Physico-Chemical Properties of Microplastics Chapter 3: Degradation of Plastics and Formation of Primary and Secondary Microplastics Chapter 4: Advanced Techniques for Sampling, Quantification and Characterization of Microplastics Chapter 5: Technologies for Polymer Identification and Monitoring of Microplastics Distribution Chapter 6: Characterizing Microplastics in the Context of Risk Assessment Chapter 7: Understanding Environmental and Socio-economic Risks Associated with MicroplasticsSECTION II: MICROPLASTICS IN DIFFERENT COMPARTMENTS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON ENVIRONMENTS AND HUMAN SOCIETY Chapter 8: Microplastics in the Environment: Sources, Distribution, Fate and Transport Chapter 9: Modelling Fate and Transport of Microplastics in Different Environmental Compartments Chapter 10: Ecological Impacts of Microplastics and Their Additives: Exposure Risk/Toxicity Assessment and Fate/Transport of Persistent, Bio-accumulative and Toxic Substances (PBTs) Chapter 11: Interactions of Microplastics with Microbial Communities and the Food Web/Plants Chapter 12: Environmental and Toxicological Effects of Microplastics on Aquatic Ecosystems Chapter 13: Human Exposures to Microplastics: Impact of Different Routes
SECTION III: REMOVAL, CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF MICROPLASTICS Chapter 14: Potential Microplastics Solutions Across the Plastic Life Cycle Chapter 15: Preventing Secondary Sources of Microplastics in the Environment Chapter 16: Reducing and Eliminating Plastic Waste via Societal Changes Chapter 17: Technologies for Removal, Remediation of Microplastics Chapter 18: Catalysis for the Upcycling of Polymers Chapter 19: Biodegradable Bioplastics Chapter 20: Global Strategies/Policies and Citizen Science for Microplastic Management Chapter 21: Life Cycle and Techno-economic Assessment of Microplastics Remediation Technologies and Policies Chapter 22: Case Studies on Microplastics Contamination with a Focus on the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic
