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Quantification and polymer characterization of sediment microplastics along the Golden beach, Puri, India
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Microplastics were found in beach sediments at one of India's most popular tourist beaches in Puri, with an average of 731 particles per kilogram of sediment. The presence of multiple polymer types, including polyethylene and polystyrene, reflects the diverse sources of plastic pollution at heavily visited coastal sites.
Microplastics are a class of emerging pollutants of concern detected in beach sediments across the globe. Limitedresearch on the topic has been undertaken in India, despite extensive coastlines and the country's most crowded beaches. Thepresent study is a preliminary study on the quantification and characterization of microplastics in one of the most famoustourist destinations, the Golden beach of Puri, Odisha. An average count of 731±719 particles/kg dry weight of sedimentwas observed. Though ANOVA revealed a site-wise variation of microplastic types to be significantly different, Tukeyposthoc test of the particle’s diversity classified according to their major activity contributors did not show significantvariation. The fragments were the most abundant fraction with a total count of 2835 particles representing 39 % of the totalmicroplastics, followed by foams (29 %), fibers (14 %), films (11 % ), microbeads (5 %), and pellets (2 %) of the totalmicroplastic particles. Color classification revealed white, red, black, blue, green, and transparent microplastics to beabundant in all the sampling sites. Polymer characterization showed the presence of seven types of polymers being,High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Polyurethane (PU), Polypropylene (PP),Polystyrene (PS), Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA), and Nylon. These preliminary findings would serve as an eye-openertoward the magnitude of microplastic pollution in the area and help opt for mitigatory measures to avoid further detrimentalimpacts on the ecosystem.
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Researchers quantified microplastic contamination across 20 sandy beaches on the Gujarat coast of India, finding average abundances ranging from 1.4 to 26 MPs per kilogram of sediment, with higher concentrations at beaches under greater anthropogenic pressure. Thread/fiber morphologies were the most abundant type, and the spatial distribution reflected local population density and tourist activity.
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This first study of microplastic prevalence on beaches of the Odisha coast in southeastern India documented widespread contamination, with fiber and fragment types dominated by polypropylene and polyethylene across multiple beach sites.
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Beach sands from three locations on the Indian coast were analyzed for microplastics, finding concentrations of 45–220 particles/kg dry sand with polyethylene (43%) as the dominant polymer, followed by PET and polystyrene. The study establishes baseline contamination data for Indian beaches and demonstrates consistent polymer profiles across geographically distinct coastal environments.
The distribution, characteristics, and potential impacts of microplastics in sediments from two tourist beaches along the northern Bay of Bengal
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This study characterized microplastic contamination in sediments from two popular tourist beaches along the northern Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh, finding between 56 and 137 microplastic items per kilogram at both sites. Fibers and foam dominated, polyethylene was the most common polymer, and most particles were under 0.5 mm. The results point to tourism, industrial discharge, fishing, and river runoff as the main local sources, and provide the first baseline contamination data for this coastal region.
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