ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Occurrence and Distribution of Microplastics
Pollution in Surface Water and Sediments
of Opak River, Yogyakarta
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Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Planning,
Universitas Islam Indonesia, Jln. Kaliurang KM. 14.5, Yogyakarta 55584, Indonesia
Submission date: 2024-02-05
Final revision date: 2024-04-03
Acceptance date: 2024-07-08
Online publication date: 2024-11-13
Corresponding author
Puji Lestari
Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Planning,
Universitas Islam Indonesia, Jln. Kaliurang KM. 14.5, Yogyakarta 55584, Indonesia
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ABSTRACT
This study investigated the abundance of microplastics in surface water and sediments of the Opak
River in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Water and sediment samples were collected from six sampling points
(P1-P6) chosen based on the accessibility and possible entry channels of microplastics. The samples were
digested using 30% H2O2 using a 0.05 M Fe(II) catalyst at 70°C. The density separation of microplastics
was performed using a saturated NaCl solution. The abundance, shape, and color of microplastics were
observed using a microscope, and the polymers of microplastics were qualitatively analyzed using
Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The microplastics
found in the surface water ranged from 4.15 to 12.3 particles/L, while in sediments, they ranged from
960 to 3080 particles/kg dry sediment. The shapes of microplastics were dominated by fragments,
and other shapes such as pellet, foam, film, and fiber were also found. The colors included black,
blown, transparent, red, green, and yellow, with black as the dominating color. Some polymers found
in the microplastics were polystyrene, high-density polyethylene, polycarbonate, and nylon. The results
of this study contributed to the advancement of the investigation of microplastics in river environments.