Abstract
The aim of the project was to quantify and characterise microplastic (MP) particles in sediments collected under and in the vicinity of an offshore wind farm (Hywind Scotland), with particular focus on assessing the presence of (i) particles derived from wind farm rotor blades and (ii) background microplastic level from other sources. The aims of the project were (i) to quantify and characterise the MP (>300 µm) content in sediment samples collected from an OWF area and to define the proportion of the MP derived directly from coatings of the rotor blades of the OWF infrastructure, and (ii) determine the background MP levels of conventional thermoplastic polymers (e.g. PE, PP, PS, PET, PVC).
These aims were achieved through the following secondary research objectives:
- Testing the physicochemical effects of the established MP extraction procedure on laboratorygenerated particles from coatings used in the Hywind Scotland OWF infrastructure and verification that the extraction procedure has negligible impacts on the pristine reference materials.
- Removal of biogenic material and mineral particles from sediment samples and isolation of MP.
- Quantification (number of particles) and physicochemical characterisation of extracted MP (colour, size, shape, and polymer composition) using a combined approach of microscopy and FTIR analyses and assessment of the presence of coating particles deriving from OWF rotor blades and leading edge protection material.