Characteristic of Airborne Microplastic in the Atmospheric Deposition in Krakow (Southern Poland): A New Semi-Quantitative Approach by Means of the Py-Gc-Ms Technique

Abstract

The present study describes the airborne microplastic (MP) pollution in Krakow. Since the first recognition of MP presence in the atmosphere of Krakow in 2019 (Wilczyńska-Michalik et al., 2019), following research was conducted to further characterise and develop the methods of airborne MP qualitative and quantitative analysis. The data was gathered in seven cycles starting from the beginning of June 2019 to the beginning of February 2020. The methods used in the study allowed for identification and the analysis of the changing ratio of different types of synthetic polymers identified in the atmospheric fallout. The observations of the interaction between MP particles and the environment were made by the analysis of surface changes due to degradation and characterization of mineral phases attached to MPs surfaces.

Keywords: air-pollution, airborne microplastic, anthropogenic pollutants