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Determination of polystyrene concentrations in Kufa River/Iraq
Summary
Polystyrene microplastic concentrations were measured in water samples from upstream and downstream sites of the Kufa River in Iraq during January 2022, with FTIR and SEM-EDS used for identification. The study provided baseline data on polystyrene contamination in this freshwater system, contributing to limited regional data on microplastic pollution in Iraqi rivers.
Currently, microplastic (polystyrene) particles have become of interest to many researchers because they are emerging pollutants that affect the environment and living organisms, especially aquatic environments, because they are considered the largest storehouse of polystyrene. So, the current study comes to evaluate the concentrations of this pollutant in fresh water. To do this study, triplicate water samples were handled from two sites of Kufa River (upstream and downstream) during Jan. 2022. The diagnosis of MP was by using FTIR and SEM-EDS techniques, and the concentration of polystyrene was by using researchers modified spectrophotometric method. The results showed that the concentrations mean for two sites up and down stream was (20-70) µg/l, where FTIR spectra showed the presence of C-H bond and C≡C, while the SEM gave morphological characteristics of MP partials which contain cracks and zigzags on the surfaces of MP as a result of mechanical weathering and exposure to sunlight for long periods.