Environmental status of marine plastic pollution in Spain

The excessive use of plastic in our society is causing a massive accumulation, since it is a non-biodegradable product and with still poor recycling rates. This effect can be observed in the seas, which more and more plastic waste are accumulating. The present work is a critical review, based on all currently available literature, that reports environmental status of marine plastic pollution, especially microplastic pollution, in Spain. The three Spanish water areas with the highest presence of plastics are the Alboran Sea, the Gulf of Alicante and the vicinity of Barcelona probably related to fishing and industrial activities and high population densities. With regard to microplastic contamination on beaches in Spain, annual monitoring by the Spanish government shows contamination along the entire coast of the country, with particularly high concentrations in the Canary Islands (between 800 and 8800 particles/m2 in spring). Between 40 and 50% of the particles analyzed were pellets and the main factors postulated for the distribution of these particles are marine currents and the geomorphological characteristics. With regards to biota, ingestion of microplastics by fish has been intensely confirmed and, important differences were observed between the locations of the sampling, being bogues (Boops boops) one of the fish species more studied in Spain. Finally, the work includes a revision of European and Spanish legislation about plastics and marine pollution and some strategies to reduce this kind of contamination in Spain

Morpho-structural and thermo-mechanical characterization of recycled polypropylene and polystyrene from mixed post-consumer plastic waste

In this work, a complete sorting and characterization of dirty non-recyclable mixed plastic (plasmix fraction) from municipal solid waste was performed. The procedure comprised a visual inspection and identification of the materials presented in the mixed plastic bales, and subsequent moisture and dirt content determination. Afterwards, both polypropylene and polystyrene fractions obtained from the sorting process were recycled and physico-mechanically and thermally characterized for the assessment of recycled material quality. The dirty nonrecyclable mixed plastic from municipal solid waste was composed of polypropylene (28.89 %), polyethylene terephthalate (22.02 %), polystyrene (9.65 %) and rigid polyethylene (4.68 %). Regarding the moisture and dirt content of the mixed plastic fraction, the results were highly variable, mainly due to the heterogeneity of the material, its origin, atmospheric conditions, etc. The average sum of both parameters (moisture and dirt) was around 15 %. The mechanical properties were within the expected range for each type of polymer, noting that polystyrene recycled materials are more brittle than recycled polypropylene. The recycling of non-food polypropylene wastes yielded a material with higher impact resistance (70 kJ/m2) and Young´s modulus (1934 MPa) as compared to that obtained from the recycling of food packages. Concerning the polystyrene recyclates, it is worth mentioning that recycled materials obtained from foamed residues (expanded polystyrene and extruded polystyrene showed approximately twice the tensile strength with respect to the recycled materials from high impact polystyrene and general-purpose polystyrene residues. In some cases, infrared and thermal analyses revealed cross-contamination with traces of other polymers

The human connection: First evidence of microplastics in remote high mountain lakes of Sierra Nevada, Spain

Data availability Data will be made available on request.Acknowledgements We would like to thank the support of all the citizen volunteers without which this work would not have been possible. We are extremely grateful to the colleagues of the Ecology Department Carmen Pérez, Eloisa Ramos, Jesús Manuel López-Rodríguez and José Antonio Delgado for leading the multidisciplinary research groups. We are indebted to the contribution of Joana Llodrá for lake basins estimations. Dr. Bopaiah Biddanda is acknowledge for his thorough suggestions. We are also grateful to the staff of Sierra Nevada National Park and the Global Change Observatory of Sierra Nevada who have always supported the “74 High Mountain Glacial-Lake Oases” Citizen Science initiative. This research has been funded by a FECYT grant to MVA (FCT- 18-13095), the LifeWatch-ERIC project “Smart EcoMountains” (LifeWatch- 2019-10-832 UGR-01), a FEDER/Junta de Andalucía-Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades project (P20_00105), and by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación project “REMOLADOX” (PID 2020-118872RB-I00). Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA.Microplastics have become one of the most serious global threats to animal and human health. While their presence has been documented in all Earth water ecosystems, including remote mountain lakes, the observation that the abundance of microplastics is largely different across nearby lakes has rarely been examined. As part of a citizen science initiative, this study analyzed for the first time the abundance of microplastics in the surface of 35 glacial lakes of Sierra Nevada National Park in Southern Spain with the objective of determining the local factors that control their abundance. First, we described the shape, size, color and nature of microplastics. Second, we tested whether the number of microplastics differed between basins and analyzed environmental and morphometrical features of lakes affecting their abundance. We found that microplastics were common in most lakes, with a maximum abundance of 21.3 particles per liter that akin to some of the most microplastic polluted lakes worldwide. Fragments were the predominant shape (59.7%) followed by fibers (38.8%) and very scarce spheres (1.5%). Microplastics were observed for all size-fractions, but the abundance of particles <45 μm was higher, what advocates for the use of low pore-size filters to prevent underestimation of microplastics. While the mean abundance of microplastics did not differ among basins, their quantity was related to the presence of meadows surrounding the lakes. This result indicates that while atmospheric transport of microsplastics may equally reach all basins, differences in microplastics among nearby-lakes has an anthropic origin caused by mountaineers who find lakes with ample meadows much more attractive to visit relative to barren lakes. The staggering number in these remote lakes, headwaters of rivers that feed drinking reservoirs, is a major concern that warrants further investigation and the strict compliance with waste management laws to reduce the harmful impacts of microplastic contamination.FECYT grant to MVA (FCT- 18-13095)LifeWatch-ERIC project “Smart EcoMountains” (LifeWatch- 2019-10-832 UGR-01)FEDER/Junta de Andalucía-Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades project (P20_00105)Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación project “REMOLADOX” (PID 2020-118872RB-I00)Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBU

Microplastics as Vectors of Chromium and Lead during Dynamic Simulation of the Human Gastrointestinal Tract

The human body is exposed to the ingestion of microplastics that are often contaminated with other substances, which can be released into our body. In this work, a dynamic in-vitro simulator of the gastrointestinal tract based on a membrane reactor has been used for the first time to study the release, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability of chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) from polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics previously contaminated in the laboratory. The results showed that 23.11% of the initial Cr and 23.17% of the initial Pb present in microplastics were able to cross the tubular membrane, simulating the intestinal absorption phase. The pH evolution during the gastric phase and the duodenal phase, the interaction mechanisms with physiological fluids, and the properties of the polymers, such as specific surface, porosity, and/or surface degradation, affected the kinetics of release from the microplastics and the behavior of both heavy metals. Cr was released very early in the gastric phase, but also began simultaneously to precipitate quite fast, while Pb was released slower and in less quantity than Cr, and did not precipitate until the beginning of the duodenal phase. This study shows, for the first time, how useful the dynamic gastrointestinal simulator is to study the behavior of microplastics and some problematic heavy metals along the human gastrointestinal tract, and can serve as a reference for future studies focused on the effects of these substances in the human body

Effects of distance to the sea and geomorphological characteristics on the quantity and distribution of microplastics in beach sediments of Granada (Spain)

Microplastics became an unprecedented challenge and mapping their contamination all over the world is needed in order to establish baseline levels and identify the polymers in order to enhance adequate legislation and policy. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate the existence of microplastic pollution on three beaches on the coast of Granada (Spain), namely La Herradura, Motril Beach and La Rábita, characterizing the particles and the relationships in their distribution. This may contribute supporting the studies carried out at a national level in accordance with the Directive on Marine Strategy (2008/56/EC). The results showed a greater median concentration of particles/kg of dry sediment in La Herradura (45.0 ± 24.7) than in Motril (31.5 ± 21.5) and La Rábita (22.0 ± 23.2). These data revealed a higher contamination by microplastics in an enclosed bay-type beach (La Herradura) in comparison with open delta-type beaches. The predominant morphologies were microspheres and fragments, with maximum median concentrations of 38.0 ± 23.7 and 6.0 ± 0.7 particles/kg, respectively. The distribution and size of the particles is affected by the geomorphological and sedimentary characteristics of these beaches, which are different from any other in Spain and in the Mediterranean in general. The beaches of Granada showed more microplastic contamination than Greek or Slovenian beaches, but less than other Spanish beaches. In this area of the Mediterranean, the presence of microplastics can be affected by the wind, sea currents or methodological aspects such as the pore size of the filters used. All of these factors were analysed when comparing the beaches of Granada with other Mediterranean beaches. This study shows that there is contamination by microplastics on the beaches of Granada, which have been little explored until now due to the difficult geological and granulometric characteristics, and gives support to other national studies.publishe

Origin, characterization and impact of microplastics occurence in the environment. Application to the province of Granada (Spain)

En la presente Tesis Doctoral se pretende analizar el recorrido ambiental de los microplásticos en sus diferentes vertientes. Para ello, la Tesis se ha dividido en cuatro capítulos que estudian este ciclo: cómo se produce la emisión al medioambiente desde una de las fuentes más accesibles para los ciudadanos, que es la cosmética y la higiene personal; qué ocurre cuando estas partículas llegan a la costa y qué factores influyen su distribución y acumulación; cómo interaccionan los microplásticos en los medios acuáticos con otros contaminantes frecuentes que están presentes; y por último, qué comportamiento podemos esperar si ingerimos microplásticos contaminados con algunas de esas sustancias.This PhD Thesis aims to analyse the environmental path of microplastics in their different aspects. In order to achieve this goal, the Thesis has been divided into four chapters that study this cycle: how emission into the environment is produced from one of the most accessible sources for citizens, which is cosmetics and personal care; what happens when these particles reach the coast and what factors influence their distribution and accumulation; how microplastics in aquatic environments interact with other frequent pollutants that are present; and finally, what behaviour can be expected if people ingest microplastics contaminated with some of these substances.Tesis Univ. Granada

Current state of biogas and biomethane production and its implications for Spain

The authors are grateful to the European Project LIFE LAND-FILL BIOFUEL (LIFE18 ENV/ES/000256)In recent years, Europe has tightened legislation to combat climate change. The new targets proposed by the different legal instruments include the European Green Deal, Directives RED I and RED II on renewable energies, 'Clean Energy for all Europeans' package, and the recently approved RepowerEU Plan, where the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and the promotion of renewable gases to be less energy-dependant are the focus of all the measures proposed. The adoption of these legal measures in Spain lags behind other countries and some financial aspects are underdeveloped. However, it is worth highlighting the measures that have been approved promote the development of projects in favour of biomethane and other renewable gases and measures to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. This study reviews the available information published in literature and discuss the current situation of biogas and biomethane production in Spain. Biomethane is a clean fuel alternative, which allows value addition to waste from numerous sources, such as landfills, agriculture, and sewage sludge. Spain has potential to produce biomass up to 163 TW h per year with important variations between regions. However, currently, it only has 146 biogas plants in operation (2.74 TW h per year) and 6 are producing biomethane, although a great number of projects are underway for the construction of new biomethane plants. The ability to address the obstacles that presently prevent the building of additional facilities will determine how well biomethane development proceeds in our nation.LIFE18 ENV/ES/00025

The human connection: First evidence of microplastics in remote high mountain lakes of Sierra Nevada, Spain.

Microplastics have become one of the most serious global threats to animal and human health. While their presence has been documented in all Earth water ecosystems, including remote mountain lakes, the observation that the abundance of microplastics is largely different across nearby lakes has rarely been examined. As part of a citizen science initiative, this study analyzed for the first time the abundance of microplastics in the surface of 35 glacial lakes of Sierra Nevada National Park in Southern Spain with the objective of determining the local factors that control their abundance. First, we described the shape, size, color and nature of microplastics. Second, we tested whether the number of microplastics differed between basins and analyzed environmental and morphometrical features of lakes affecting their abundance. We found that microplastics were common in most lakes, with a maximum abundance of 21.3 particles per liter that akin to some of the most microplastic polluted lakes worldwide. Fragments were the predominant shape (59.7%) followed by fibers (38.8%) and very scarce spheres (1.5%). Microplastics were observed for all size-fractions, but the abundance of particle