Water (Mar 2024)

Spatial Variations in Microplastics in the Largest Shallow Lake of Central Europe and Its Protecting Wetland Area

  • Bence Prikler,
  • Réka Svigruha,
  • Judit Háhn,
  • Péter Harkai,
  • István Fodor,
  • Edit Kaszab,
  • Balázs Kriszt,
  • Gergő Tóth,
  • István Szabó,
  • Zsolt Csenki,
  • Gábor Bordós,
  • Adrienn Micsinai,
  • Brigitta Nyírő-Fekete,
  • Zoltán Palotai,
  • Zsófia Lovász,
  • Zsolt Pirger,
  • Sándor Szoboszlay

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/w16071014
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 7
p. 1014

Abstract

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The concentration of microplastics (MPs) in two important Hungarian freshwater habitats was determined in the size range of 50 μm–1 mm. Lake Balaton (LB) is the largest shallow lake in Central Europe, with a significant role in recreation and tourism. Its main inflow, the Zala River, enters the lake through an artificially constructed wetland, the Kis-Balaton Water Protection System and its catchment area (KB), which helps preserve the water quality of the lake. From these two areas, 15 samples were taken with an in situ filtration sampling method. After preparation, the samples were analyzed automatically by FT-IR microscopy. All samples, from both areas, contained MPs; the dominant microplastic (MP) shape was the fragment, while the most frequently polymer types were polyethylene, polypropylene and alkyd. Small MPs were dominant in both areas; around 90% of the MPs were smaller than 500 μm. On average, LB contained more MPs (21.0 ± 12.5 MPs/m3) compared to the KB, which presented an average concentration of MPs of 7.8 ± 5.9 MPs/m3. In the examined areas, two potential MP sources were determined, i.e., treated wastewater and road traffic. The importance of tourism should also be further investigated.

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