Analysis of Microplastics in Kejawanan Harbor Cirebon Alif Shidqie Al Bani (a*), Mutiara Rachmat Putri (b)
a) Earth Sciences, Bandung Institute of Technology
Jalan Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
*alifshidqiealbani99[at]gmail.com
b) Research Group of Oceanography, Institute Technology of Bandung, Indonesia
Abstract
Microplastics are plastics that have a size of <5 mm. Microplastics come from large plastics that have been degraded by physical, chemical, and biological processes over a period of time. Microplastic pollution in Indonesia has become a serious problem, in the Cirebon area in 2020 the volume of waste reached 1,319 m3 / day. There is an average of 106 kg of waste, most of which comes from human activities, found on the coast of Cirebon. One of the locations with high human activity is in Kejawanan Port Cirebon. Microplastic pollution in Kejawanan Harbor can cause losses to all aspects and harm the surrounding community. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct research to analyze microplastics in Kejawanan Port Cirebon.
This study used data in the form of primary data, namely sea surface water samples taken directly at Kejawanan Port Cirebon. Water samples were taken at 14 different points. Points 1-4 were taken in October 2020 using a manta net with a mesh size of 350. Meanwhile, points 5-14 were taken in December 2023 using a plankton net with a mesh size of 180. Furthermore, the water samples were further analyzed in the laboratory to observe their visual form with a microscope and calculated their abundance and analyzed using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to determine the type of polymer.
Based on the results of this study in 2020 at 4 locations in Cirebon Waters, the types of microplastics found include polyethylene, polyester, vinylidene chloride, polystyrene, and polyprophylene. In 2020, the average abundance of microplastics per area and per volume was 0.579 particles/m2 and 125.3 particles/m3, respectively, with the dominating forms of microplastics being film and foam. Whereas in 2023 with sampling in 10 locations mostly in Kejawanan Harbor, the types of microplastics found were polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene, vinylidene chloride, polyester, and polyamide 6. In 2023, the average abundance of microplastics per area and per volume was 3.86 particles/m2 and 17,090.9 particles/m3 respectively with the dominating forms of microplastics being fiber and granule. Although the results between 2020 and 2023 cannot be compared exactly, the increase in area and volume of microplastics is thought to be due to anthropogenic activities and distributed by oceanographic factors, such as ocean currents and tides.
