Author(s)

Rana Zeeshan Habib¹, Tholkappiyan Ramachandran², Fathalla Hamed³, Ruwaya Al Kindi¹, Abdel-Hamid Ismail Mourad², Thies Thieman^4*

¹Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
²Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
³Department of Physics, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
⁴Department of Chemistry, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Microplastic content was analyzed in road dust, soils alongside roads and stormwater run-offs in Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi. Apart from tire wear material, fibers and degradation products of meso- and macroplastics such as plastic bags and plastic bottle tops were found to be the most dominant plastic microparticles. Speed bumps and artificial turf/lawns were also evaluated as potential sources of microplastics on and alongside roads. It was found that in arid regions Aeolian transport of microplastics may be more important than transport by water.

Road Wear, Microplastic, Artificial Turf, Glass Reflector Beads, Speed Bumps

Habib, R. , Ramachandran, T. , Hamed, F. , Kindi, R. , Mourad, A. and Thiemann, T. (2022) Microplastic in an Arid Region: Identification, Quantification and Characterization on and Alongside Roads in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Journal of Environmental Protection, 13, 671-688. doi: 10.4236/jep.2022.1310043.