Stephen Summers, Theodore Henry, Tony Gutierrez,<\/p>\n
Agglomeration of nano- and microplastic particles in seawater by autochthonous and de
\nnovo-produced sources of exopolymeric substances,<\/p>\n
Marine Pollution
\nBulletin, Volume 130, May 2018, Pages 258-267, ISSN 0025-326X,<\/p>\n
Abstract:<\/p>\n
Microplastics (<5\u202fmm) have often been studied under in-vitro conditions
\nwhere plastics have been investigated in isolation. However, in the
\nnatural environment microplastics readily form agglomerates conferring
\nthe particles with properties different to their pristine counterparts.
\nHere, we examined the interaction of exopolymers with polystyrene
\nnanoplastics and microplastics. Formation of plastic agglomerates was
\nexamined using simulated sea surface conditions. Flow cytometry coupled
\nwith microscopy revealed that nano- and microplastic particle spheres
\nform agglomerates in seawater with a mucilagenous material and an
\nassociated microbial community. To characterise this material,
\ndifferential staining methods revealed it to be glycoprotein in
\ncomposition. Exposing increasing concentrations of a marine bacterial
\nglycoprotein EPS to nano- or microplastics revealed that these types of
\npolymers contribute to the formation and abundance of plastic
\nagglomerates. This work highlights the importance of EPS on the fate of
\nplastic and future research should take this into account when
\nevaluating the impact of plastics.<\/p>\n