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Atmospheric Microplastic Particulate in Urban Roadside: Case of Bandar Lampung City, Indonesia
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Researchers measured airborne microplastics in Bandar Lampung City, Indonesia, finding fibrous particles — mostly PET — present at all sampling locations including residential areas and city centers, not just industrial zones. The detection of microplastics in the ambient air at meaningful concentrations adds to the growing body of evidence that people in urban environments are continuously inhaling microplastic fibers, regardless of proximity to obvious industrial sources.
Abstract Atmospheric microplastics (AMPs) have been a growing concern in the past decade, yet still research remains limited and at an early stage. The research aids in presenting the current level of AMPs in Bandar Lampung City, Indonesia. A study was conducted to investigate roadside microplastics in urban areas using a High Volume Air Sampler (HVAS) over eight hours. The sampling locations were purposely chosen in representative areas of industrial zones, residential areas, busy roads, and city centers. Visual observations combined with needle tests, were employed to assess the abundance and morphology of microplastics. Additionally, some samples were identified its polymer by Raman. The Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) concentrations ranged from 16.96 to 427.8 μg/m3, with industrial areas showing the highest concentrations. Microplastic abundance varied between 0.0021 and 0.0199 particles/m3, with fibrous microplastics being the predominant type and only few fragment found. Among the observed colors, blue and grey (faded black) were the most prevalent across all sampling sites. Microplastic size distribution showed a range of 500-1000 µm as the foremost category (42%), followed by 100-500 µm (29%). Raman analysis presented PET (Polyethylene terephthalate). In S4 (city center), 3,388±270 vehicles/day were identified as the highest, whereas in S2 (residential area), the lowest number of vehicles/day was 1166±99. There is no significant relationship between TSP-MPs and MPs-vehicle numbers. The Northwest and Northeast directions were identified as common sources for almost all sites, suggesting that microparticles may originate from these directions.
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