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Determination of Microplastics in Surface Water and Sediment of Kelantan Bay
Summary
This study determined the presence and characteristics of microplastics in surface water and sediment of Kelantan Bay, Malaysia, finding fibers as the most abundant type. The results add to regional data on microplastic contamination in Southeast Asian coastal waters.
Abstract This study was conducted to determine the presence of microplastics in surface water and sediment ofKelantan Bay. The samples were collected between May and July 2019. Microplastics were isolated from the surface water and sediment samples by using wet peroxide oxidation (WPO) followed by density separation. Microplastics were sorted visually according to their shapes and colours after being examined under photographed microscope. The most abundant particle found in this study was threadlike and fragment shapes. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify functional groups in the composition of microplastics to determine the types of microplastic found in the samples. Polypropylene (PP) was the most abundance type of microplastic found in the surface water and sediments of Kelantan Bay. This study provides an insight of the types of microplastics found in Kelantan Bay and therefore, further actions need to be taken to curb the distribution of microplastics in marine ecosystem from threatening the marine food chain of Kelantan Bay.