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Microplastic Pollution In Estuarine Ecosystem At Sungai Laloh, Pasir Putih
Summary
This study examined microplastic pollution in an estuarine ecosystem in Malaysia, sampling green mussels and sediment at two sites. Fragments were most abundant in mussels while fibers dominated sediment, with cultured mussels showing higher contamination than wild ones; polymers detected included PE, PP, PET, EVA, and nylon.
Abstract This paper presents the characteristics and trends of microplastic pollution in the estuarine ecosystem at Sungai Laloh, Pasir Putih. The sample collected were green mussels and sediment located at two different sampling point. A comparison of similar total weight was made for wild mussel and cultured mussel. The method involved the pre-treatment of green mussels and sediment sample, followed by digestion and analysis. In pre-treatment, the aquatic specimen and sediment undergo non-toxic density separation with the used of 1.2 kg/L sodium chloride (NaCl). The digestion was made by adding 35% (v/v) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and incubated for 24 to 48 hours by using incubator shaker at of 50℃ and 80 rpm. Analysis was conducted by using stereomicroscope and Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR). In addition, SPSS statistical software was used to determine the significant difference between wild mussel and cultured mussel. Results show that microplastic fragment found abundant in mussel while microplastic fibers were found in sediment. The types of polymer microplastic found were polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and nylon (all polyamides). In comparison based on percentage of abundance, cultured mussel was the most polluted with microplastic.