Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Microplastic in Beach Sand in Can Gio, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract Microplastics pollution in Vietnam has been received more attention in recent years due to its adverse impacts on the environment. The coastal areas, especially estuary is potential accumulation zone of microplastics. These locations, where inland waters meet the ocean, are heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities and the dynamic of the sea currents. This study aims to investigate the spatial distribution, physical characteristics, and chemical composition of microplastics in beach sand in Can Gio, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. A total of 90 sand samples from five sampling sites were collected in November 2019, they were analyzed for size, shape, color, and identity. The results showed that microplastics concentration ranged from 0 to 6.58 pieces/ kg d.w. Microplastics tend to be distributed along the upper-shore line and in the surface layer of sand. The data revealed that microplastics ranging from 2.8–5 mm were the most abundant (72.46%), pellet shape accounted for the highest proportion (41.31%), white and blue are two popular colours up to 80% in total of detected microplastics. Chemical composition of the microplastics was determined by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy, polypropylene and polystyrene are the two most common plastic types in this study. Macroplastics found in beach sand samples were also assessed, the study shows a positive correlation between microplastic and macroplastic, showing the possible origin of microplastics. The findings of this study provided more insights into the microplastic pollution status in beach sand and the foundation for future investigation.