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Identification and Spatial Distribution of Microplastics in the Coastal Regions of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
Summary
Microplastic particles were found across all 20 sampling sites along the Cox's Bazar coastline in Bangladesh, with fibrous white particles dominant and polymer types including rayon, nylon, and polyethylene identified via FTIR spectroscopy. The widespread distribution across one of the world's longest natural sea beaches signals significant pollution pressure on a coastline critical for both ecology and local livelihoods.
Microplastic accumulation in the marine environment has been of great concern and considered to be a growing problem in the coastal sediments of Bangladesh. This research represents the identification of microplastic and its type of polymer and its large scale abundance along the beach sediment of Cox’s Bazar where sediment samples have been collected from 20 locations across 9 regions. In order to understand the potential impacts associated with microplastic pollution in Cox’s Bazar coastal area, quantification, identification and spatial distribution of the types of microplastic and polymer have been done from the collected samples of Cox’s Bazar shoreline region. All sediments analyzed through visual and SEM identification contained microplastic particles (<5 mm). The majority of the microplastics were fibrous, and white in color which accounted for more than 70% of the total microplastics. Using ATR FTIR spectroscopy, we identified the type of polymer present. Evaluation of qualitative measurements of various polymer types has been done, including rayon, nylon, polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), alkyd, epoxy, and the polyethylene–polypropylene copolymer (PE + PP). Quantitative analysis of the validated microplastics has been done manually. Rayon, nylon, polyethylene are the most abundant ones whereas polypropylene has been found to be the least abundant. Insights into the extent of the microplastic abundance along the shoreline in specific sampled regions have been illustrated using analytical tools. Microplastic plastic concentration has been found to be highest in the regions of Laboni point and Kolatoli point in the Cox’s Bazar beach. On the contrary, Himchori and Bardeil areas show the lowest abundance of microplastic that can be correlated with the growth of tourism centered urbanization and settlements. This investigation is the in-depth analysis of microplastics concentration in the coastal region of Bangladesh which displays the emerging pollution of coastal sediments. The findings of this work can help identify potential sources of microplastics which can be utilized to improve the coastal environment and provide valuable clues to coastal zone management in Cox’s Bazar shoreline region.