https://www.kansaiuniversityreports.com/article/analysis-of-the-concentration-and-characteristics-of-microplastic-pollution-at-estuaries-kendari-bay


Abstract 

Microplastics represent one of the most current global concern issues for environmental and human health. The main concern is for aquatic ecosystems, a very large increase in the number of microplastics has recently transformed these compounds and their degradation products into one of the most common marine debris. To decompose plastic waste requires 50-100 years to be completely degraded so that it becomes a threat to aquatic ecosystems. This research aims to determine the concentration and characteristics of microplastics pollution at estuaries at Kendari Bay. The data of this research were sourced from water and sediment samples from 3 estuaries at Kendari Bay including the Punggaloba estuary, Lahundape estuary, and Wanggu estuary. The analytical methods used in this research include National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Origin Software and SPSS Software. The results showed that the Kendari Bay was contaminated by microplastics. The highest concentration of microplastic pollution is found at the Lahundape estuary, which is 10.07 particles/liter of water and Punggaloba estuary, which is 96 particles/kg of sediment. Microplastic characteristics are based on morphological analysis and particle size. It can be seen that the shape of microplastic particles from water and sediments includes fragments, fibers, and pellets. The range of microplastic sizes in water samples ranges from 0.24-20.34 μm while the size range in sediment samples ranges from 0.12-16.53 μm. The most dominant source of microplastic polymers found at Kendari bay is polystyrene type.

Keywords: Estuary, Kendari bay, marine debris, microplastic, pollution