Microplastics are emerging contaminants of concern in the freshwater environment due to their ecotoxicity to aquatic organisms.  We previously observed that wastewater treatment plants were point sources of microplastics in the Raritan River with a moderate correlation between microplastic concentration and distance from the Raritan Bay.  These results suggested that other fate and transport mechanisms (i.e., settling, skimming, degradation, biological uptake) were occurring between point sources.  To better understand the role of bed sediments as a potential sink for microplastics, bed sediment samples were collected along transects from up and downstream of point sources on the Raritan River.  Microplastics were extracted, enumerated, and the composition confirmed by microFTIR analysis.  Preliminary results indicate that bed sediment concentrations peak downstream of point sources and that water and bed sediment samples from the Raritan include particles composed of polyethylene, polyurethane, and polystyrene.  These data will help inform our understanding of the fate of plastic particles in the freshwater environment.

Role of bed sediments as a sink for microplastics

256th National Meeting (2018)

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