Analysis of microplastic abundance in Brantas river, East Java

Brantas River is one of the rivers that flows in the province of East Java. The existence of the Brantas River is very important for the community because it is the largest supplier of raw water for drinking water for the community around the river. Therefore, analysis of pollutant content, especially microplastics, is an essential thing to do to support environmental sustainability. The aim of this activity was to determine the abundance of microplastics in the Brantas River. The materials in this study included water quality parameters (temperature, pH, DO, and current velocity) and the abundance of microplastics in the water of Brantas River. Sampling was carried out at 3 observation stations representing the upstream (Kalibiru, Batu City), middle (Kertosono bridge, Nganjuk Regency), and downstream (Porong Bridge, Sidoarjo Regency) parts of the Brantas River. Observation of the abundance of microplastics was carried out at the Laboratory of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Brawijaya University based on the method developed by Masura et.al, 2015. In general, the value of water quality parameters was still within the range of quality standards applicable in Indonesia. The results of this study showed that the abundance values of microplastics varied and ranged from 0.66 particles/L-0.88 particles/L with the highest abundance values in the downstream and the lowest values in the upsteam part of the Brantas River. Based on the results of these studies, it was necessary to take steps to mitigate the presence of microplastics which include monitoring, preventing, and handling the presence of microplastics.