Due to great properties of plastics (low cost, water resistance, durability), the interest in plastic products is increasing and consequently their production. With the increasing production, the amount of waste that ends up in the environment is also increasing. In addition to presence of larger plastic waste in the environment, we also face with the problem of microplastics. They are generated either during the production of other plastic products (primary microplastics) or by various degradation processes of larger pieces (secondary microplastics). Microplastics enter the environment and travel through different ecosystems; they are found in soil, air and aquatic environment. One of the largest sources of microplastics are car tires – microplastics are generated by abrasion during driving. The highest concentrations occur in proximity to roadways, with concentrations decreasing with distance. Because many chemicals are added to tires to improve their performance and durability, when the particles are deposited, these chemicals can be leached into the environment and pose an additional risk to organisms. The effects of microplastics from tire wear are not well understood, so the aim of the thesis was to evaluate the effects of those microplastics and their leachates on duckweed Lemna minor. The potential hazard was evaluated as the effects on specific growth rate, root growth and concentration of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b). The results show that the use of microplastics from car tires as particles resulted in greater impacts than leachates on the duckweed. In the experiment with presence of particles, inhibition of specific growth rate and root growth was observed only at the highest tested concentration (1000 mg/L). The effect was observed to a lesser extent in the concentration of chlorophyll a, where it slightly increased with increasing of concentration of microplastics. In the experiment with leachate, the effect on the specific growth rate and root growth was also observed only at the highest concentration, while the effect on the concentration of chlorophyll a and b was much more pronounced.
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