Methodology for assessing microplastic quantity in contemporary urban surface deposited sediments
https://doi.org/10.24057/2071-9388-2026-4410
Abstract
The aim of this exploratory study is to develop an approach for assessing the microplastic content in an urban area. Urban surface-deposited sediments (USDS) are used as a geoindicator component. Three research design schemes have been proposed for determining the microplastic content in USDS. The first scheme involves manually counting polymer particles identified by Raman spectroscopy. The second scheme is based on FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared) analysis of the floating fraction of the USDS, obtained by treating the sediments with a saturated NaCl solution (120 g/L), with quantitative assessment carried out using standard samples prepared from the identified polymers and the mineral matrix. According to the third scheme, polymers in both the floating fraction and the mineral matrix of the USDS were identified using FTIR. The carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and nitrogen (N) contents were then measured. The content of the identified polymers was assessed on the basis of the C:H ratio in the USDS. The first scheme does not allow reliable identification of polymers. The second scheme did not permit reliable quantitative assessment of polymer content in the USDS. However, a combination of FTIR spectroscopy and elemental analysis of floating fraction subsamples <100 μm, separated using a 120 g/L NaCl solution, enabled the quantity of polyethylene (PE) in the USDS to be determined. The total amount of PE in particle size fraction <100 μm of the USDS a residential urban area, using Ekaterinburg (Russia) as a case study, was estimated to range between 242 and 623 tonnes, average value 352 tonnes (corresponding approximately 1100 mg/kg). The quantity of polymers contained within both the mineral matrix and the floating fraction > 100 μm of contemporary sediments remains unknown; it is evident that the total is higher. This estimate is preliminary and may be refined in future studies.
Keywords
urban environment,
urban surface deposited sediments (USDS),
road dust,
microplastic,
polyethylene (PE),
pollution assessment
Supporting agencies: This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 24-17-20036) and the Government of the Sverdlovsk Region (project No. 24-17-20036). The authors thank Elizaveta Pankrushina, PhD, Senior Researcher at The Zavaritsky Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, for the advice on the identification of polymer particles using Raman spectroscopy.
About the Authors
E. N. Perkova
Institute of Industrial Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
20 S. Kovalevskaya Str., Ekaterinburg, 620108
A. A. Seleznev
Institute of Industrial Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
20 S. Kovalevskaya Str., Ekaterinburg, 620108
A. V. Pestov
Ya. Postovsky Institute of Organic Synthesis, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
22/20 Komsomolskaya Str., Ekaterinburg, 620066
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For citations:
Perkova E.N., Seleznev A.A., Pestov A.V. Methodology for assessing microplastic quantity in contemporary urban surface deposited sediments. GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY. 2026;19(2):139-150. https://doi.org/10.24057/2071-9388-2026-4410
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