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Microplastic Contamination in Sea Salt Production Using Geomembrane Plastic
Summary
Salt crystallization ponds lined with plastic geomembranes in Indonesia were found to contain microplastics in the harvested salt, though the study found no significant difference in contamination between ponds with and without the plastic liners. This suggests the plastic sheeting used in commercial salt production is not the primary microplastic source — contamination likely enters via the already-polluted seawater used as the raw material, meaning the salt supply is reflecting the broader state of ocean microplastic pollution.
The raw material for making salt is seawater. The global issue is that seawater has been polluted by plastic waste, over time the plastic waste is degraded into microplastics. Apart from the polluted water, entering the salt production area in the crystallization pond is lined with plastic geomembrane. This study is to examine the quantity and kind of microplastics in four different crystallization pond locations (salt crystal) in Rembang, Central Java, Indonesia. The procedure used to determine the kind of plastic (FTIR), the amount of microplastic particles (number) using a microscope, and the morphology (SEM-EDX). The variables used include sampling location (four locations) and crystallization procedure (with and without geomembranes). The results showed no significant distinctions between treatments involving the deployment of geomembrane plastics and those lacking geomembrane materials regarding microplastic concentration. The mean distribution of microplastic contamination within the selected salt fields has been quantified at 326 and 337 microplastic particles per kilogram without and with geomembrane. FTIR analyzed on the salt with Geomembranes was more contaminated than that without Geomembranes. PS, HDPE, PP, PET, Nylon, Polyamide, and Latex, are the plastic contaminants, whereas PS, HDPE, PP, HDPE, LDPE, PET, PE, PVC, Acrylic, Ethylene vinyl Acetate, and Latex are the plastics that use Geomembranes.
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