Measuring microplastic emissions to water from artificial turf fields

Haraldsson, C

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Location

Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE)

Abstract

To get an idea of how much microplastic is introduced into surface water from six football fields, a number of water samples were taken from the collecting well where stormwater and drainage water flowed from the area in question to the recipient. The sampling times were determined by whether there was sufficient rainfall to create flow in the wells. The samples were taken at the surface of the well, i.e., the samples come from the water flowing into the recipient, rather than from the material accumulated in the well. The quantification of granulates in the water was based on the relatively high zinc content of the granules. The particles in the water were collected on a filter. After the filter with captured material was removed, the amount of zinc on the filter was measured, then the number of granulates was calculated based on the zinc content of the actual granules. The results of the 44 samplings show that the average concentration of microplastics in the sampled waters is low (0.9 mg/l). A rough estimate shows that the average value for microplastic emissions, with larger than 5µm particle size, to water from the tested artificial turf fields is approximately 6 kg/year.

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