Association between microplastics and biofilm: a new perspective for monitoring microplastics in urban rivers

Abstract

Biofilm has an enormous capacity to accumulate pollutants, reflecting what happens for days in the water column of a river. However, there is a gap in using biofilm as a matrix for monitoring microplastics, especially in urban rivers. This study proposed using biofilms in environmental monitoring investigations of microplastic occurrence as a significant contribution to water and sediment analysis. To this end, a bibliographic review was carried out on databases regarding: monitoring microplastics in Brazilian rivers; and adsorption of emerging contaminants in microplastics associated with biofilms in fresh water. Additionally, the relevance of biofilms as bioaccumulators of pollution in their environment was highlighted. Based on the studies analyzed, it was observed that the evaluation of biofilms could broaden the view of microplastic pollution occurring within a water body, especially when compared to the analysis of water and sediment in the same period and environment.