Microplastic and mesoplastic pollution in surface waters and beaches of the Canary Islands: A review.

The Canary Archipelago is a group of volcanic islands located in the North Atlantic Ocean with high marine biodiversity. This archipelago intercepts the Canary Current, the easternmost branch of the Azores Current in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, which brings large amounts of litter from remote sources via oceanic transportation. It is, therefore, particularly vulnerable to marine plastic pollution. Here, we present a review of the available studies on mesoplastics and microplastics in the Canary Islands over the last decade to evaluate the level and distribution of plastic pollution in this archipelago. Specifically, we focused on data from beaches and surface waters to assess the pollution level among the different islands as well as between windward and leeward zones, and the main characteristics (size, type, colour, and polymer) of the plastics found in the Canary Islands. The concentrations of meso- and MPs on beaches ranged from 1.5 to 2972 items/m2 with a mean of 381 ± 721 items/m2. The concentration of MPs (>200 µm) in surface waters was highly variable with mean values of 998 × 103 ± 3364 × 103 items/km2 and 10 ± 31 items/m3. Plastic pollution in windward beaches was one order of magnitude significantly higher than in leeward beaches. The accumulation of MPs in surface waters was higher in the leeward zones of the high-elevation islands, corresponding to the Special Areas of Conservation (ZECs) and where the presence of marine litter windrows (MLW) has been reported. Microplastic fragments of polyethylene of the colour category "white/clear/uncoloured" were the most common type of plastic reported in both beaches and surface waters. More studies on the occurrence of MLW in ZECS and plastic pollution in the water column and sediments, including small-size fractions (<200 µm), are needed to better assess the level of plastic pollution and its fate in the Canary Islands. Overall, this review confirms that the Canary Archipelago is a hotspot of oceanic plastic pollution, with concentrations of MPs in surface waters in the highest range reported for oceanic islands and one of the highest recorded mean concentrations of beached meso- and microplastics in the world.

Understanding the sources of marine litter in remote islands: The Galapagos islands as a case study.

Determining the sources of marine litter is necessary to mitigate this increasing global problem. Plastic bottles are useful tracers of marine litter and constitute the main item (24%) stranding on remote beaches in the Galapagos Islands. The aim of this study was to estimate the abundance of plastic bottles in remote beaches and inferred their sources. To do so, we collected plastic bottles at 60 remote Galapagos Island beaches from 2018 to 2022. 76% of beaches were qualified as badly polluted, with >34 bottles·100 m-1. Most identified bottles came from Peru (71%), followed by China (17%) and Ecuador (9%). Although most locally-sold products are made in Ecuador, they contribute little to beach litter loads. Polyethylene terephthalate bottles with lid (necessary for litter dispersal) represented 88% of all bottles, demonstrating that most of the litter reaching the Galapagos comes from distant sources, mainly from South America. However, bottle ages indicate that at least 10% of Peruvian, 26% of Ecuadorian, and all Chinese bottles likely were dumped from ships. Reducing marine litter reaching the Galapagos Islands requires tackling litter leakage from land-based sources in South America and better compliance with regulations banning the dumping of plastics and other persistent wastes from ships.

Discernible decline in macroplastic litter inputs to the central eastern Red Sea shoreline during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Plastic debris accumulating on beaches pose a major threat to marine ecosystems. Unexpected events affecting human operations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted governments to implement safety measures and restrictions, can serve as an unplanned investigation of anthropogenic pressure on the marine environment. This study aimed to explore deviations in macroplastic delivery rates to the central eastern Red Sea shoreline during three distinct population mobility periods: before, during, and after COVID-19 restrictions, spanning from January 2019 to June 2022. We observed a 50 % reduction in the estimated macroplastic delivery rates during the lockdown, followed by a 25 % increase after restrictions were eased. Seasonal variations in delivery rates were also observed, with higher values during the winter monsoon. Reduced shoreline litter delivery during the pandemic highlights human operations as a cause of macroplastic litter and suggests the potential of temporary measures to reduce plastic pollution in the coastal environment.

Beached plastic and other anthropogenic debris in the inner Seychelles islands: Results of a citizen science approach.

Masses of plastic and other anthropogenic debris on beaches of inner Seychelles and derived from 53 organised clean-ups have been analysed. Debris and plastic densities ranged from 0.0011 to 0.1622 kg m-2 and 0.0004 to 0.1179 kg m-2, respectively, and data from successive cleans of the same beach resulted in respective median accumulation rates of 0.0293 and 0.0137 g m-2 d-1. There was no dependence of density or accumulation on beach location/aspect or season, but there were significant inverse relationships with beach area. This effect was attributed to most debris and plastic being trapped on the backshore by rocks and vegetation, and the areal proportion of backshore increasing with decreasing beach size. Plastic is derived from local littering and more distal sources, with polyethylene terephthalate bottles, flip-flops and Styrofoam fragments making important contributions. Without intervention and an increased risk of coastal flooding with climate change, beached debris on Seychelles is predicted to increase.

Correlation analysis and predicting modeling of pyrolysis gas based on landfill excavated waste pyrolysis characteristics.

The contribution of excavated waste to waste management is multifaceted, including minimization, non-hazardous disposal, access to useable land resources, improved waste management techniques and public environmental awareness, consistent with recent circular economy initiatives. Pyrolysis can be converted into tar, pyrolysis gas and char with recyclable utilization, enriching the application of pyrolysis technology in the field of excavation waste. In this study, the pyrolysis system includes horizontal tube furnace, gas collection device and Micro GC. The excavated waste was pyrolyzed at a temperature of 500∼900 °C with a heating rate of 10 °C/min. Pyrolysis gases include H2, CO, CO2, CH4, C2H4, C2H6 and C3H8. Pyrolysis was divided into four stages, the main decomposition range is 230∼500 °C, with a weight loss rate of 68.49% and a co-pyrolysis behavior. As the temperature increases, the tar and char decreased and the gas production increased significantly, and the pyrolysis gas reached 47.02% at 900 °C. According to Pearson correlation coefficient analysis, the generation of H2 and CO is positively correlated with temperature. Therefore, the target products can be influenced by changing the parameters, when considering the practical utilization of the excavated waste pyrolysis products. On this basis, the prediction models were built by polynomial fitting method. This model can reduce the experimental exploration cycle, reduce the cost, and accurately predict the pyrolysis gas, which has practical guidance for the application of pyrolysis industry, and provides a theoretical basis for the resource recycling and energy recovery of landfill.

Distribution and composition of floating marine debris in Shiretoko peninsula, Japan, using opportunistic sighting survey.

Floating marine debris (FMD) poses several threats to marine species, such as entanglement, ingestion, and the transport of pollutants. The Shiretoko Peninsula, located in northern Japan, is a registered World Natural Heritage Site and a biodiversity hotspot. However, FMD has not yet been thoroughly investigated in this region. In 2022, sighting surveys were conducted in Abashiri (west side of the peninsula) and Rausu (east side) to assess the abundance, composition, and distribution of FMD. The mean densities were notably higher in Abashiri, and there was more fishing-related debris in Rausu. Regarding local human activities, the population and number of tourists are higher in Abashiri, and fishing activities are higher in Rausu. While marine pollution is a global issue, our study suggests that addressing it should commence with community-based management at the local level.

Plastic pollution on Moroccan beaches: Toward baselines for large-scale assessment.

In Africa, Morocco is the 10th largest producer of plastic. The severity of this plastic has attracted increasing amounts of attention in the Moroccan Atlantic and Mediterranean in recent years. However, at the national level, there is limited knowledge of plastic pollution. To obtain an exhaustive and comprehensive evaluation of plastic pollution levels in Morocco, large-scale monitoring is needed on all the coasts of the country. In this context, this paper examined the composition, abundance, distribution, source and quality of beaches on two Moroccan coasts using four beach quality indices along 29 beaches. During two seasons, a total of 72,105 items were counted. The mean litter abundance was 0.31 items/m2, and the Mediterranean beaches were more dense than the Atlantic beaches. In particular, litter density was greater in spring (0.35 items/m2) than in summer (0.29 items/m2). The data indicate considerable differences in the density of marine debris according to the seasonality, beach typology and presence of rivers. Hazardous litter items were collected along both Moroccan coasts, constituting 8.41 % of the total collected items, with a mean of 0.026 items/m2. The use of environmental indices allowed us to classify Moroccan beaches as "moderate cleanliness", "moderate abundance" of plastics, "moderately safe" presence of hazardous litter and "mediocre" environmental status. The findings of the present study indicate that the sources of litter on both Moroccan coasts come mainly from recreational activities and dumping. The waste management practices recommended for Moroccan beaches include reducing sources, mitigating mitigation measures and changing littering behavior.

Model-based estimation of seasonal transport of macro-plastics in a marine protected area.

Management of plastic litter in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is expensive but crucial to avoid harms to critical environments. In the present work, an open-source numerical modelling chain is proposed to estimate the seasonal pathways and fates of macro-plastics, and hence support the effective planning and implementation of sea and beach cleaning operations. The proposed approach is applied to the nearshore region that includes the MPA of Capo Milazzo (Italy). A sensitivity analysis on the influence of tides, wind, waves and river floods over the year indicates that seasonality only slightly affects the location and extension of the macro-plastic accumulation zones, and that beach cleaning operations should be performed in autumn. Instead, the influence of rivers on plastic litter distribution is crucial for the optimal planning of cleaning interventions in the coastal area.

Characterisation and agronomic evaluation of acidified food waste anaerobic digestate products.

Raw liquid anaerobic digestate was synthesised into nutrient-dense solid digestates via acidification and evaporation. Acidification retained ammonium in the digestate whilst also donating the anion to free ammonium to form an ammonium salt. Digestate was treated with the addition of sulphuric, nitric, and phosphoric acid resulting in the formation of ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate and ammonium phosphate, respectively then evaporated into a solid fertiliser product. FTIR, XRD and SEM-EDS collectively confirm that the addition of acids completely converted the free ammonium in the raw digestate into their respective ammonium salt counterparts. Compounds of potassium chloride, silicon dioxide, calcium carbonate, magnesium ammonium phosphate, sodium nitrate, and sodium chloride were identified in all solid digestate samples. Plant growth and grain yield was higher in urea ammonium nitrate, raw liquid digestate and acidified digestate products compared to control and unacidified solid digestate. Urea ammonium nitrate and ammonium nitrate solid digestate had the highest dry shoot, likely due to the high available nitrogen found in both fertilisers. Overall, acidification and evaporation of liquid digestate can efficiently transform it into a valuable solid fertiliser with a high nutrient density. This process not only has the potential to mitigate handling and storage constraints of low nutrient density digestate in anaerobic digestion facilities but also offers a sustainable alternative to conventional fertilisers.

Comparison of classification methods performance for defining the best reuse of waste wood material using NIR spectroscopy.

Recycling of post-consumer waste wood material is becoming an increasingly appealing alternative to disposal. However, its huge heterogeneity is calling for an assessment of the material characteristics in order to define the best recycling option and intended reuse. In fact, waste wood comes into a variety of uses/types of wood, along with several levels of contamination, and it can be divided into different categories based on its composition and quality grade. This study provides the measurement of more than a hundred waste wood samples and their characterisation using a hand-held NIR spectrophotometer. Three classification methods, i.e. K-nearest Neighbours (KNN), Principal Component Analysis - Linear Discriminant Analysis (PCA-LDA) and PCA-KNN, have been compared to develop models for the sorting of waste wood in quality categories according to the best-suited reuse. In addition, the classification performance has been investigated as a function of the number of the spectral measurements of the sample and as the average of the spectral measurements. The results showed that PCA-KNN performs better than the other classification methods, especially when the material is ground to 5 cm of particle size and the spectral measurements are averaged across replicates (classification accuracy: 90.9 %). NIR spectroscopy, coupled with chemometrics, turned out to be a promising tool for the real-time sorting of waste wood material, ensuring a more accurate and sustainable waste wood management. Obtaining real-time information about the quality and characteristics of waste wood material translates into a decision of the best recycling option, increasing its recycling potential.

Carboxymethyl cellulose-based multifunctional film integrated with polyphenol-rich extract and carbon dots from coffee husk waste for active food packaging applications.

Sustainable carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based active composite films were developed through the addition of polyphenol-rich extract from coffee husk (CHE) and carbon dots (CDs) prepared using the biowaste residue of CHE extraction. The influences of various CDs contents on the physicochemical and functional characteristics of composite films have been researched. The 6% (w/w) CHE and 3% (w/w) CDs were uniformly dispersed within the CMC matrix to produce a homogenous film with enhanced mechanical properties. The CMC/CHE/CDs3% film exhibited outstanding UV-light blocking, improved water and gas barriers, potent antioxidant activity with above 95% DPPH and ABTS scavenging rates, and effective antibacterial capabilities against L. monocytogenes and E. coli. The food packaging experiment demonstrated that this active composite film slowed the rotting of fresh-cut apples and extended their shelf-life to 7 days at 4 °C storage. Therefore, the obtained multifunctional film showed promise as an environmentally friendly food packaging material.

Marine grade oil adsorption performance of artisanal felt mat made using waste human hair.

This is an experimental study that aims to use waste hair in the fight against oil pollution in the sea and to support the art of felt making, which is in danger of extinction. In this way, it is aimed to contribute to sustainability by producing a product for environmental improvement from waste material that does not have any value, and by creating employment by preserving a handicraft with historical basis. As a result of the experiments, it was observed that adsorbent materials made from sheep wool with human hair added in different proportion showed adsorbent performance comparable to their equivalents and superior to some of them.

Chromoproduct approach to achieve environmentally sound management of e-waste plastics: Colombian project case.

Research to prevent releases of brominated flame retardants listed as persistent organic pollutants by the Stockholm Convention (POP-BFRs) was conducted through an international cooperation project in Colombia. Six waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management facilities implemented: 1) sorting e-waste by product type and color (black, white, and other; henceforth called chromoproducts), 2) sampling test products and their plastic fraction (called sets, separated by polymer type), 3) monitoring mass, bromine and antimony contents by hand-held X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and POP-BFRs such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and 4) differentiated treatment according to categories that used the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (RoHS) hazardousness threshold of 1000 mg ∑PBDEs/kg. This scheme led to the proposal of a methodology for WEEE management called the "chromoproduct approach". 994,230 products were managed and grouped into 222 chromoproducts, from which 77 were analyzed: 50 below RoHS hazardousness (BRH), 16 above RoHS hazardousness (ARH), and 11 unknown RoHS hazardousness (URH). XRF indicators using bromine and antimony contents could rule out pollution in BRH chromoproducts; however, categorization still required GC-MS. One ARH plastics sample had 3620 mg ∑PBDEs/kg, while no POP-BFRs were found in the BRH plastics sample. The implementation of the chromoproduct approach traced 153.6 tonnes of ARH plastics. BRH plastics composition was estimated and used in a pilot-scale closed-loop economic activity. The chromoproduct approach seems promising for avoiding POP-BFR releases and promoting the upcycling of recyclable e-waste plastics.

[Neurological Complications Associated with Kidney Disease].

The kidneys filter the blood to excrete waste products and excess salt from the body as urine, while reabsorbing what the body needs and keeping it in the body. For this reason, when the function of the kidneys deteriorates, urine cannot be produced, and homeostasis of electrolytes and acid-bases cannot be maintained. As a result, waste products accumulate in the body, resulting in uremia and the need for dialysis induction or kidney transplant. This paper provides an overview of the neurological complications that appear in kidney disease and their treatment.

A dye elution method for the quantification of insecticidal crystal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis and its compatibility with the presence of agro-industrial raw materials and waste products.

The insecticidal crystal proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis during sporulation are active ingredients against lepidopteran, dipteran, and coleopteran insects. Several methods have been reported for their quantification, such as crystal counting, ELISA, and SDS-PAGE/densitometry. One of the major tasks in industrial processes is the analysis of raw material dependency and costs. Thus, the crystal protein quantification method is expected to be compatible with the presence of complex and inexpensive culture medium components. This work presents a revalidated elution-based method for the quantification of insecticidal crystal proteins produced by the native strain B. thuringiensis RT. To quantify proteins, a calibration curve was generated by varying the amount of BSA loaded into SDS-PAGE gels. First, SDS-PAGE was performed for quality control of the bioinsecticide. Then, the stained protein band was excised from 10% polyacrylamide gel and the protein-associated dye was eluted with an alcoholic solution of SDS (3% SDS in 50% isopropanol) during 45 min at 95°C. This protocol was a sensitive procedure to quantify proteins in the range of 2.0-10.0 µg. As proof of concept, proteins of samples obtained from a complex fermented broth were separated by SDS-PAGE. Then, Cry1 and Cry2 proteins were properly quantified.

Fish By-Product Collagen Extraction Using Different Methods and Their Application.

The processing of fishery resources results in the production of a growing quantity of byproducts, including heads, skins, viscera, intestines, frames, and fillet cutoffs. These byproducts are either wasted or utilized for the production of low-value items and fish oil. Typically, fish processing industries use only 25%, while the remaining 75% is considered as waste by-products. This review presents a comprehensive review on the extraction of collagen from fish byproducts, highlighting numerous techniques including acid-soluble collagen (ASC), enzyme-soluble collagen (ESC), ultrasound extraction, deep eutectic solvent (DES) extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). A detailed explanation of various extraction parameters such as time, temperature, solid to liquid (S/L) ratio, and solvent/pepsin concentration is provided, which needs to be considered to optimize the collagen yield. Moreover, this review extends its focus to a detailed investigation of fish collagen applications in the biomedical sector, food sector, and in cosmetics. The comprehensive review explaining the extraction methods, extraction parameters, and the diverse applications of fish collagen provides a basis for the complete understanding of the potential of fish-derived collagen. The review concludes with a discussion of the current research and a perspective on the future development in this research field.

Anthropogenic litter in a Mediterranean coastal wetland: A heterogeneous spatial pattern of historical deposition.

Coastal wetlands represent areas that can testify historical accumulation of litter. We analyzed the anthropogenic litter deposited on the channel bottom of a coastal wetland area that experienced water stress due to extreme summer dryness after about 20 years. We hypothesize that the litter accumulated in the different areas over the years reflects the different social user categories (i.e., fishermen, beach users, hunters) and exposure to meteo-marine events. Our findings highlight that historically accumulated litter is composed of plastics (78.8 %), clothes (8.9 %), and glass (4.9 %). Moreover, litter concentration averages 53.6 items/ha in the 8 sectors. The most found categories were common household items (25.4 %), diverse (professional and consumer) items (24.2 %), and food and beverages packaging (21.4 %). Finally, litter diversity indices and the Detrended Correspondence Analysis showed sector and litter type similarities. We reported for the first time the presence of litter accumulated for 20 years testifying non-more occurring recreational activities.

Tracing beach litter sources: Drink lids tell a different story from their bottles.

Water and soft drink bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sink at sea unless they contain trapped air, whereas their lids are made from polymers that float and can drift long distances. We sampled loose lids and bottles at 21 South African beaches to compare their origins. The proportions of foreign-made bottles and lids were correlated, and increased away from urban centres, indicating that much land-based litter strands close to source areas. Over 80 % of foreign-made drink bottles and 90 % of lids came from Asia, but most bottles were manufactured in China, Malaysia-Singapore and the UAE, and were dumped from ships. By comparison, most loose lids were in poor condition after being carried across the Indian Ocean from Indonesia by the South Equatorial Current. Reducing PET drink bottles at sea requires enforcement of regulations banning dumping at sea, whereas reducing their lids requires better control of littering in source countries.

Assessment of seabed litter at Concepción Seamount (Canary island) using a remotely operated towed vehicle.

The seafloor is recognised as a major sink for marine litter. However, studies conducted in this compartment addressing marine litter densities and its interactions with fauna are scarce, mainly due to sampling constraints. In this paper, we assess marine litter density, composition and interactions with marine communities and evaluate its relationship with fishing activities at the "Banco de la Concepción" seamount (Canary Islands, Spain). We took advantage of underwater video records taken with a Remotely Operated Towed Vehicle in the framework of the LIFE IP INTEMARES project. A total of 56 video transects were analysed covering about 9 km with 19 h of video recording. Transects were categorised as high, low, and null fishing effort based on the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) positional data registered between 2009 and 2017. Litter items were recorded in 70% of the transects with a mean density of 2122 (±2464) items km-2. There were significant differences in litter densities over the three levels of fishing pressure, with a density decrease from stations of high to stations of null fishing pressure. Regarding categories, plastic was by far the most abundant category found (83.1%), mainly consisting of fishing lines, both monofilaments and entangled longlines. The study of the interactions of marine litter with fauna showed that less than 20% of the items presented an interaction with benthic organisms either by causing or not a visible impact. The sponge Asconema setubalense accounted for more than half (57.4%) of all interactions, but only 5% of all A. setubalense specimens showed physical damage.

Identifying potential high-risk zones for land-derived plastic litter to marine megafauna and key habitats within the North Atlantic.

The pervasive use of plastic in modern society has led to plastic litter becoming ubiquitous within the ocean. Land-based sources of plastic litter are thought to account for the majority of plastic pollution in the marine environment, with plastic bags, bottles, wrappers, food containers and cutlery among the most common items found. In the marine environment, plastic is a transboundary pollutant, with the potential to cause damage far beyond the political borders from where it originated, making the management of this global pollutant particularly complex. In this study, the risks of land-derived plastic litter (LDPL) to major groups of marine megafauna - seabirds, cetaceans, pinnipeds, elasmobranchs, turtles, sirenians, tuna and billfish - and a selection of productive and biodiverse biogenic habitats - coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, saltmarsh and kelp beds - were analysed using a Spatial Risk Assessment approach. The approach combines metrics for vulnerability (mechanism of harm for megafauna group or habitat), hazard (plastic abundance) and exposure (distribution of group or habitat). Several potential high-risk zones (HRZs) across the North Atlantic were highlighted, including the Azores, the UK, the French and US Atlantic coasts, and the US Gulf of Mexico. Whilst much of the modelled LDPL driving risk in the UK originated from domestic sources, in other HRZs, such as the Azores archipelago and the US Gulf of Mexico, plastic originated almost exclusively from external (non-domestic) sources. LDPL from Caribbean islands - some of the largest generators of marine plastic pollution in the dataset of river plastic emissions used in the study - was noted as a significant input to HRZs across both sides of the Atlantic. These findings highlight the potential of Spatial Risk Assessment analyses to determine the location of HRZs and understand where plastic debris monitoring and management should be prioritised, enabling more efficient deployment of interventions and mitigation measures.