Environmental Science Series

Microplastics: Knowledge, measures and

solutions

20 October 2021
Welcome

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EPA's aboriginal inclusion symbol, the Gayaam Wilam "shield“, signifying protection.

The image was commissioned by EPA in 2017 from Wurundjeri artist, Mandy
Nicholson.
Microplastics

Dr Mark Browne
Senior Lecturer, University of New South Wales
20 October 2021
 Sources, fate and impacts of textile fibres to the
ecosystem and methods to mitigate these problems

Mark Anthony Browne

Twitter @manthonybrowne
Email: m.browne@unsw.edu.au
COLLABORATORS
PARTNERS
 HUMANS ENGINEER PRODUCTS FROM POLYMERS

Vegetable Animal Petrochemical

Poorly designed products and managed waste
allow polymers to contaminate environment
 poles equator

Global problem
mountain oceanic depths
450% INCREASE IN OCEANIC MICROPLASTIC

*
0.2
*

0.1

Thompson et al. (2004) Science

 MICROPLASTIC CAN BIOACCUMULATE
**

µl haemolymph -1
0.15
No. particles
0.1

0.05

0
3.0 9.6
Size (µm)

Microplastic
gut

haemocyte
Microplastic
Browne et al. (2008) Environmental Science & Technology
 MICROPLASTIC AS A CHEMICAL VECTOR
Priority pollutants
• 78% US
• 61% EU

Plastics sorb pollutants at concentrations:

• 100 times: sediments
• 1 million times: water

Nonylphenol Phenanthrene PBDE-47 Triclosan

Rochman, Browne et al. (2013) Nature

INGESTING MICROPLASTIC CAN MOVE CHEMICALS INTO TISSUES
10 Nonylphenol 500 PBDE-47

μg g-1± S.E.
8

μg g-1± S.E.
400
6 300
4 200
2 100
0 0
Sand+PVC Body-wall Gut Sand+PVC Body-wall Gut

0.5 Phenanthrene 3000 Triclosan

0.4
μg g-1± S.E.

μg g-1± S.E.
0.3 2000
0.2
1000
0.1
0.0 0
Sand+PVC Body-wall Gut Sand+PVC Body-wall Gut

Browne et al. (2013) Current Biology

MICROPLASTIC AND/OR SORBED CHEMICALS CAUSE BIOLOGICAL IMPACTS

phagocytosed per
30 Less immunity Less feeding
3

Zymosan (105)

g coelomocyte

Casts per worm

20 2
10 1
0 0
Oxidative status of

1000 Oxidative stress Mortality

μmol Fe2+ per L

% Survivorship
100
coelomic fluid

75
500
50
25
0 0
OVER 65% PLASTIC IS COMPOSED OF MICROPLASTIC, MOSTLY FIBRES

100
No. of items (Log 10)
per 0.25 m2

10

0
<1 1 – 10 10-1000 1000 - 10’000

Size (mm)

Browne et al. (2010) Environmental Science & Technology

>500% MORE PLASTIC FIBRES: DOWN-WIND HABITATS

6
50 mL-1 sediment +S.E.
up-wind down-wind
No. plastic fibres

0
Small Medium Great
Depositional gradient

Browne et al. (2010) Environmental Science & Technology

PLASTIC FIBRES CAN CAUSE LETHAL AND SUB-LETHAL BIOLOGICAL
IMPACTS TO TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC FAUNA

Browne, Charlesworth et al. (in prep.)

Plastic fibres per
250 mL-1 sediment

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

Browne et al. (2011) Environmental Science & Technology

 MORE PLASTIC FIBRES WHERE THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE

F1,16 = 8.36, P<0.05, r2 = 0.34

Log (No. of plastic fibres

2.0
250 mL-1 sediment)

1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0
Log (No. of people km-1)

MOSTLY POLYESTER, ACRYLIC & NYLON FIBRES

Browne et al. (2011) Environmental Science & Technology
MARINE HABITATS THAT RECEIVE SEWAGE SLUDGE CONTAIN >250%
MORE PLASTIC FIBRES
Disposal-site
Reference-sites (>10 km)
1.4 *

50 g-1 sediment +S.E.

No. plastic fibres 1.2 *
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
North Sea English Channel

(F1,16 = 4.50, P < 0.05) Browne et al. (2011) Environmental Science & Technology
SEWAGE EFFLUENT IS CONTAMINATED WITH PLASTIC FIBRES

No. Plastic fibres

2

L-1 effluent +S.E.

1

0
Treatment plants

Australian treatment plants: all fibres

• Polyester (67%)
• Acrylic (17%)
• Nylon (16%)
Browne et al. (2011) Environmental Science & Technology
PROPORTIONS OF POLYMERS MATCH THOSE USED IN CLOTHING
CLOTHES MADE FROM FIBRES, YARNS AND FABRICS

Fibres are are twisted into yarns

Yarns joined to form fabrics

Fabrics stitched together into clothes

COULD FIBRES COME FROM WASHING CLOTHES?
400

No. fibres L-1 effluent

300

200

100

0
Blanket Fleece Shirt

Fleeces: > 180% more

Single garment shed millions of fibres per wash

Problem for circular economy of plastic fibres

Browne et al. (2011) Environmental Science & Technology
CAN WE MITIGATE POLLUTION BY CLOTHING FIBRES
BY AVOIDING, INTERCEPTING OR RE-ENGINEERING?
LAUNDROMAT TO TEST METHODS OF REDUCING EMISSIONS
FILTERS MARKETED WITHOUT SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OF EFFICACY
DESPITE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
INTERCEPTION: TESTING AND RE-ENGINEERING FILTERS FOR
WASHING MACHINES

Browne et al. 2020 Plos One

FILTERS REDUCE EMISSIONS OF CLOTHING FIBRES TO SEWAGE BUT
EFFICIENCY VARIES WITH PORE-SIZE AND POLYMER

75
Reduction of cotton fibres
50
emitted to sewage (%)
25

0
No filter 2 mm filter 150 μm filter

50
Reduction of polyester debris 40

emitted to sewage (% 30
20
10
0
No filter 2 mm filter 150 μm filter

Browne et al. 2020 Plos One

AVOID: NATURAL, PLASTIC & RECYCLED FIBRES?
PLASTIC FIBRES PERSIST LONGER THAN ANIMAL AND PLANT FIBRES IN
MARINE HABITATS

Beloe, Charlesworth, Browne et al. (in prep)

RE-ENGINEERING GARMENTS
NEW NEWTHODS FOR
QUANTIFYING NATURAL
AND PLASTIC FIBRES
NOVEL CONFOCAL METHOD TO QUANTIFY FIBRES

Tedesco & Browne 2021 Chemical Engineering

NEW ELLIPSOIDAL METHODS TO ESTIMATE MASS OF FIBRES

Circle + void (P < 0.001***) Solid circle (P < 0.001***) Ellipse (ns)

Most authors estimate mass of fibres using circular equation

Tedesco & Browne 2021
CURRENT SPECTROSCOPIC METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING CELLULOSE
DO NOT WORK

Tedesco & Browne 2021

Cotton Linen Ramie Jute
Tedesco & Browne 2021
 CONCLUSION
• Understanding and managing contamination and pollution by polymers
requires linked structured surveys and factorial experiments to determine
patterns and processes.

• Most surveys do not provide robust data to allow comparative

assessments, examine trends or be sure about the quantities of polymers
being encountered.
ROBUST SCIENCE ENABLES PROBLEMS OF POLYMERS TO BE
UNDERSTOOD AND MANAGED

Scope of problem

Analysis &
synthesis Options for managing problem

Surveys
Chosen actions to solve problem
Experiments

Was problem solved?

Microplastics

Dr Denise Hardesty
Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere
20 October 2021
 Plastic
Waste –
Everybody’s
business

(Micro) Plastic pollution management, policy and regulation:

Tackling a transboundary problem with multiple approaches
Britta Denise Hardesty| 20 October 2021
Australia’s National Science Agency
 The problem

Plastic waste will soon NOT be

exported, it is contaminating our lands
and seas, and challenging our
industries and citizens.

It’s everywhere, all the time,

increasing.

44 |
Trans-boundary problems need integrated
responses
Governance
Legislation
Regulation
Incentives
Education

Producers Research
Burden of proof Marine science
Best practices Health science
Investment Environmental science
Better materials Citizen and social science

Consumers Waste management

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle Integrated
Responsible disposal management
Awareness Litter capture &
Clean-up removal
Zero waste
Use as resource
Worm et al. 2018
Has anything changed over the last decade?

46 |
 Global Plastic Trends
Global releases of plastic waste into the World's oceans

3% of all plastic on the market

will end up in the ocean.
32% of single-use packaging
escapes collection systems

Global plastic leakage is estimated

at 8 Mt/y(range: 4.8 - 12.7)

$13 billion in financial damage to

marine ecosystems from plastic
waste (yearly estimate )

Sources: WEF, 2016; UN Environment, 2018; The Challenges of measuring plastic pollution, 2019; Ellen Macarthur foundation NPEC, 2017

47 |
 Trends Cumulative global plastic
production Plastic production has
Plastic waste generation by sector Mt/y
a doubling time of 11
Packaging Australia’s Coast years
13 13
17 Textiles
Plastic is increasing in
37
141 Other sectors the ocean, ~ 1.5% per
year.
38 Consumer & Institutional
42 products Cost of inaction in $BNs
Transportation

Global plastic leakage from four main sources

(Mt/y)

1.5 Coastal mismanaged

0.6 plastic waste
Inland rivers
2
8 Lost fishing gear

Source: Geyer et al. (2017); WEF, 2016; UN Environment, 2018; The Challenges of measuring plastic pollution, 2019

48 |
 What do we know about plastic impacts?

• Economic (tourism & fisheries)

• Navigation hazard
• Invasive species transport
• Wildlife entanglement & ingestion
• Chemical/toxicological effects
• Well-being/community
 Where does our trash end up?

Most stays local

Matches observations
• Consumer items near cities
• Marine users in remote areas

50 |
 What drives debris loads?
Urbanization
• Distance to public transport, nearest road
• Regional and local population
• Regional and local road density by type
Land use
• Reserves, Agriculture, Housing, Water, etc.
Socio-economics
• Economic advantage/disadvantage
• Education and employment levels
• Economic resources
 What do we know?
What do we need to know?

52 | Britta Denise Hardesty

 State of Knowledge
• Threat Abatement Plan (TAP)
• National coastal survey
• Risk/threats to marine fauna
• Emerging priorities project(s)

53 | 53 |
How to decide? When do we act?

Ghana – flooding during rainy season plastic

clogging drains, people die, President bans
plastic less than 20 microns thick Hardesty & Wilcox 2017
On what do we base policies?
European Union

Northern Fulmar

How much is a nanogram?

… a billionth of a gram

6.6 grams

55 | 55 |
 Monitoring waste inputs and evaluating existing and potential
responses
• Where to NOW?
• Standardization; national, consistent approach
• Understand policy effectiveness
• Quantify leakage through waterways

• Emerging issues?
• GPTs/stormwater drains?
• Post-covid recovery for Australia?
• Waste Export ban

Timely, relevant, solutions-oriented & scalable

56 | 56 |
How do we reduce >80% of plastic waste entering
the environment by 2025?

Revolutionise Waste Supporting Information for

Behaviour best practice
packaging management decision-making
change
innovation

ENDING
PLASTIC
WASTE

Aiming to makeLogistics of packaging ApplyGenerating

circular value Better data,
100% of packaging in economy information and
Australia reusable, approaches. Development & decision-support
recyclable or implementation tools.
compostable by Incentives - of national
2025. plastic as a standards.
commodity.
Reducing information cost Climbing the ladder of
fate

57 |
59 |
 Opportunities for success:
▪ Target sites with high debris load sites (hotspots)

▪ Employ incentives, enforcement, education in

areas of socioeconomic disadvantage

▪ Social context is key for low-cost debris/litter

reduction

▪ Cost-benefit analysis and optimisation of

investments (e.g. litter traps in waterways)

▪ National/international focus on how well policies

work

60 |
 ‘If you measure it, you can manage it’

Understand it - Design for it

Participate in it - Influence it

Use it - Circularize it (reuse)

 Springboard for policy development, evaluation
& national monitoring

62 |
 Choose our future

Britta Denise Hardesty

CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere
www.csiro.au/plastics
t +61 3 6232 5276
e denise.hardesty@csiro.au
w https://www.csiro.au/showcase/Ending-plastic-waste
https://research.csiro.au/marinedebris
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