Microplastome: A New Paradigm for Progressing from Understanding to Controlling Microplastic Pollution
Microplastics have significantly impacted almost all ecosystems on Earth. The increasing production and disposal of plastic products, coupled with the persistent nature and low recycling rate of plastic waste, make microplastic pollution a major global environmental concern with a poorly reversible trend. To better understand and tackle microplastic pollution, SKLMP Member Dr. Nathanael Jin and his Postdoc Dr. Changchao Li, along with another SKLMP Member Dr. James Fang and several other experts in this field, introduced a novel conceptual framework of "the Microplastome". Their related insights and prospective trajectories have been published as a supplementary cover paper in the journal "Environmental Science & Technology."
Given that microplastic pollution in the real environment is caused by a range of plastic particles with different physicochemical properties, as well as matters such as absorbed chemicals and microbes, studying microplastics requires comprehensive consideration of their complexity and multidimensional attributes. Thus, the research team introduced a novel, conceptual framework of the “microplastome”, defined as the entirety of various plastic particles (<5 mm), and their associated matters such as chemicals and microbes. Based on this concept, the researchers emphasize and call for a collective quantification and characterization of microplastics and for a more holistic understanding regarding the differences, connections, and effects of microplastics in different biotic and abiotic ecosystem compartments. The article also presents new perspectives on the representation, risk assessment, and traceability of microplastic pollution. By utilizing a scheme for source apportionment based on the compositional features of complex microplastics combined with receptor models. Sources identified as major contributors to the high risk of microplastics can be prioritized for control measures.
The research team believe the development of this paradigm will go a long way toward unraveling the ecological impacts of microplastics, thereby aiding in the management and resolution of this pressing global environmental concern.
More details are available via: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.3c08849
