Microplásticos en sedimentos fluviales en la cuenca baja del río Rímac, Perú

Microplastics are present in the environment, especially in aquatic ecosystems, and are of priority interest due to their level of risk. This problem arises from poorly managed plastic waste which mostly ends up in dumps, rivers, lakes, and oceans, generating microplastics through physical and chemi...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Huanaco Huamán, Raúl, Gamboa Fuentes, Nadia Rosa
Format: article
Publication Date:2023
Country:Perú
Institution:Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
Repository:PUCP-Institucional
Language:Spanish
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.pucp.edu.pe:20.500.14657/196694
Online Access:https://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/espacioydesarrollo/article/view/27942/25959
https://doi.org/10.18800/espacioydesarrollo.2023.002
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Microplastics
Plastics
Rimac river
Sediments
Solid Wastes
Microplásticos
Plásticos
Residuos sólidos
Río Rímac
Sedimentos
https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#5.07.00
Description
Summary:Microplastics are present in the environment, especially in aquatic ecosystems, and are of priority interest due to their level of risk. This problem arises from poorly managed plastic waste which mostly ends up in dumps, rivers, lakes, and oceans, generating microplastics through physical and chemical degradation. Likewise, the discharges of domestic and industrial effluents increase the presence of microplastics in rivers. This research is the first study on microplastics developed in the lower basin of the Rímac river in the years 2017 and 2018 in the Lima region, Peru.The results show 97 microplastic particles collected in November 2017 and 2982 microplastic particles in August 2018. The predominant forms of microplastics correspond to fragments, films, filaments, and spherules. Microplastics present in sediments are associated with solid wastes found in the riverbed and the discharge of effluents into the river. These results are worrying because the Rimac river would be contaminated by microplastics, moreover knowing that this river is an important source of freshwater for the different activities in the great city of Metropolitan Lima.