The assessment of microplastic pollution in the shelf sediment of the Sicily and the Tuscan Islands

Mikroplastični materijal obuhvaća čestice plastike manje od 5 mm koje su prepoznate kao jedan od glavnih zagađivača, posebice u morskom okolišu. Ovaj rad pruža podatke o prisutnosti mikroplastike u sedimentima talijanskog šelfa. Analizirane su ukupno četiri jezgre sedimenta, dvije uzorkovane na području šelfa južne obale Sicilije, a dvije na području šelfa Toskanskog otočja. Sedimenti su izvagani i prosijani, te je mikroplastika uspješno odvojena od sedimenta metodom separacije na temelju gustoće za što je korištena otopina natrijevog polivolframata (SPT; Sodium polytungstat). Fizikalna i kemijska karakterizacija čestica plastike provedena je s obzirom na oblik, boju i vrstu polimera. Fragmenti su najčešća kategorija oblika mikroplastike na svim analiziranim lokacijama, dok vlakna obuhvaćaju ostatak pronađenih oblika. Dominantna boja fragmenata je siva, dok su vlakna većinom svijetlo obojena. Vrsta polimera analizirana je pomoću metode ATR (Attenuated total reflection) na FTIR-u (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) čime je utvrđeno kako najveći broj čestica pripada polivinil kloridu (PVC), a na drugom mjestu po zastupljenosti je etilen-vinil acetat (EVA). Čestice mikroplastike kojima nije bilo moguće odrediti vrstu polimera uglavnom su bile snimane metodom KBr tableta koja se bez dodatnih modifikacija može isključiti kao metoda za analizu mikroplastike.Microplastic materials include plastic particles smaller than 5 mm that have been identified as one of the main pollutants, especially in the marine environment. This thesis provides data of the presence of microplastics in the sediments of the Italian shelf. A total of four sediment cores were analysed, two sampled in the area of the shelf of the southern coast of Sicily, and two in the area of the shelf of the Tuscan Islands. The sediments were weighed and sieved, and the microplastic was successfully separated from the sediment by density separation method using sodium polytungstat (SPT) solution. Physical and chemical characterization of plastic particles was performed with regard to shape, color, and type of polymer. Fragments are the most common shape category of microplastics in all analyzed locations, while fibers represent the rest of the shapes found. The main color of fragments was grey, while the fibers were mostly light colored. The type of polymer was analyzed using the ATR (Attenuated total reflection) method on FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) which shows that the largest number of particles belongs to polyvinyl chloride (PVC), followed by ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). Microplastic particles for which the type of polymer could not be determined were mainly recorded using the KBr tablet method, which can be ruled out as a method for microplastic analysis without additional modifications