Panacea for the nanoplastic surge in Africa: A state-of-the-art review

Emmanuel Sunday Okeke; Onome Ejeromedoghene; Charles Izuma Addey; Edidiong Okokon Atakpa; Semiu Folaniyi Bello; Timothy Prince Chidike Ezeorba; Kingsley Ikechukwu Chukwudozie; Charles Obinwanne Okoye

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11562

Panacea for the nanoplastic surge in Africa: A state-of-the-art review

Heliyon. 2022 Nov 14;8(11):e11562. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11562. eCollection 2022 Nov.

Authors

Emmanuel Sunday Okeke^{1

2

3

4}, Onome Ejeromedoghene^{5

4}, Charles Izuma Addey^{6

4}, Edidiong Okokon Atakpa^{7

8

4}, Semiu Folaniyi Bello^{9

4}, Timothy Prince Chidike Ezeorba², Kingsley Ikechukwu Chukwudozie^{10

4}, Charles Obinwanne Okoye^{11

12

13

4}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Environmental Health and Ecological Security, School of Environment & Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
² Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 41000, Enugu State, Nigeria.
³ Natural Science Unit, School of General Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 41000, Enugu State, Nigeria.
⁴ Organization of African Academic Doctor (OAAD), Off Kamiti Road, P. O. Box 25305000100, Nairobi, Kenya.
⁵ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 211198, PR China.
⁶ College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, China.
⁷ Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, 316021, Zhejiang, China.
⁸ Department of Animal & Environmental Biology, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, 1017, Nigeria.
⁹ Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
¹⁰ Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 410001, Nigeria.
¹¹ Biofuels Institute, School of Environment & Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
¹² Department of Zoology & Environmental Biology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 410001, Nigeria.
¹³ Key Laboratory of Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Equipment, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.

Abstract

Africa is a large continent ranked amongst the top consumer of plastic materials. However, the improper handling of plastic wastes has resulted in massive pollution of different aspects of the environment (water, soil, sediments, air, food, etc.) within and around the region. The fragmentation and biodegradation of the bulk plastic material into small-sized particles has given rise to microplastic and nanoplastics. Owing to their small sizes, ease of transport, and large surface area, they tend to wreak serious havoc in the environment. Nevertheless, the growing awareness of the pollution problems caused by micro/nanoplastic debris is instrumental towards circumventing its widespread across the ecosystem. This review provides a state-of-the-art information on the prevailing nanoplastic surge across the borders of Africa, the ineffective management policies of plastic wastes, potential environmental hazards, and possible remediation strategies. Additionally, prospective insights into new areas for advanced research were highlighted.

Keywords: Africa; Environmental hazards; Microplastics; Nanoplastics; Paradigm shifts; Plastics.

Publication types

Review