We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Analysis of Microplastics in Kejawanan Harbor Cirebon
Summary
Researchers collected water and sediment samples from Kejawanan Harbor in Cirebon, Indonesia, and identified microplastics by type, shape, color, and polymer composition. Fibers dominated the samples, with polyethylene and polypropylene as the most common polymers, reflecting plastic waste inputs from the busy harbor environment.
Abstract Microplastics are plastics that have a size of <5 mm. Microplastics come from large plastics that have been degraded by physical, chemical, and biological processes over a period of time. Microplastic pollution in Indonesia has become a serious problem, in the Cirebon area in 2020 the volume of waste reached 1,319 m3/day. There is an average of 106 kg of waste, most of which comes from human activities, found on the coast of Cirebon. One of the locations with high human activity is in Kejawanan Harbor Cirebon. Microplastic pollution in Kejawanan Harbor can cause losses to all aspects and harm the surrounding community. The data used in this study are primary data, which are sea water samples on the surface taken directly at Kejawanan Harbor, Cirebon. Water samples were taken at 14 different points. Points 1-4 were taken in October 2020 using a manta net with a mesh size of 350 (dimensionless). Meanwhile, points 5-14 were taken in December 2023 using a plankton net with a mesh size of 180 (dimensionless). Furthermore, the water samples were further analyzed in the laboratory to observe their visual form with a microscope and calculated their abundance and analyzed using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to determine the type of polymer. Based on the results of this study in 2020 at 3 locations in Cirebon Waters, the types of microplastics found include polyethylene, polyester, vinylidene chloride, polystyrene, and polyprophylene. In 2020, the average abundance of microplastics per area and per volume was 0.579 particles/m 2 and 125.3 particles/m 3 , respectively, with the dominating forms of microplastics such as film and foam. Whereas in 2023 with sampling in 10 locations mostly in Kejawanan Harbor, the types of microplastics found were polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene, vinylidene chloride, polyester, and polyamide 6. In 2023, the average abundance of microplastics per area and per volume was 3.86 particles/m 2 and 17,090.9 particles/m 3 respectively with the dominating forms of microplastics such as fiber and granule.