Volta

Including impacts of microplastics in marine water and sediments in life cycle assessment

Microplastics (MPs) pose a threat to marine ecosystems. When released, MPs first reach the water column, where they can be ingested by pelagic species. MPs can then reach marine sediments, a potential sink, where they may affect sediment-dwelling species. However, current life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods do not consider the impact of MPs in sediments, providing an incomplete picture when comparing environmental profiles of products and services. This work builds on the MarILCA working group characterization factors (CFs) by computing updated physical effects on biota CFs that include both water and sediment compartments, as previous factors did not consider the latter. A simplified fate of MPs in the marine environment is modelled, combining fate in water and sediments and …

Reference & gravity metrics

Secondary-market trade history

References (0)

Cited by (1)