Determination of Microplastics in Surface Water and Sediment of Kelantan Bay

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the presence of microplastics in surface water and sediment ofKelantan Bay. The samples were collected between May and July 2019. Microplastics were isolated from the surface water and sediment samples by using wet peroxide oxidation (WPO) followed by density separation. Microplastics were sorted visually according to their shapes and colours after being examined under photographed microscope. The most abundant particle found in this study was threadlike and fragment shapes. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify functional groups in the composition of microplastics to determine the types of microplastic found in the samples. Polypropylene (PP) was the most abundance type of microplastic found in the surface water and sediments of Kelantan Bay. This study provides an insight of the types of microplastics found in Kelantan Bay and therefore, further actions need to be taken to curb the distribution of microplastics in marine ecosystem from threatening the marine food chain of Kelantan Bay.

A review on the presence of microplastics in environmental matrices within Southeast Asia: elucidating risk information through an analysis of microplastic characteristics such as size, shape, and type

“…This enables the penetration of microplastics into aquatic food chains, from the lowest to the highest tropical levels, due to their density-dependent distribution [118][119][120] . PE, PP, PU, and PS are examples of low-density polymers [121] . These polymers tend to float on the surface water and are likely to be consumed by pelagic species, while benthic species tend to consume dense plastics such as PES, PET, PA, and PVC, as they typically settle on the seabed.…”

“…This can be due to environmental factors such as temperature, wind turbulence, tides, and waves [123] . These denser plastic particles could have also been resuspended from deeper water to the surface [121] . Furthermore, after degradation, aggregation, and biofouling processes, low-density polymers can also reach the seafloor [122] .…”

Presence of microplastics in estuarine environment: a case study from Kavvayi and Kumbla backwaters of Malabar Coast, Kerala, India

“…Polyurethane, acrylonitrile/ butadiene styrene copolymer, vinyl chloride/ ethylene, poly (n-butyl acrylate) was also frequently found along with the polyamide containing particles. Fishing gears, nets etc are the prominent source of polyamide microplastics (Saipolbahri et al 2020). Polyester was all bers or lms, coloured or colourless which also include PET derived from single use plastic bottles.…”

Microplastic pollution in the sediment of Jakarta Bay, Indonesia

“…Some microplastics, which have a higher density than seawater, may sink rapidly and settle in sediment. Degradation, aggregation, and biofouling could cause lighter microplastic particles to fall to the seafloor as marine snow [5].…”