IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERISTIC OF MICROPLASTIC IN SEDIMENTS AND MACROZOOBENTHOS OF THE UPPER CITARUM RIVER

• Main Author: Rizky Adrian, Muhammad
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Teknik saniter dan perkotaan; teknik perlindungan lingkungan
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/53958
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The Citarum River is one of the most important aquatic ecosystems in West Java Province. At this time, the condition is still heavily polluted. So it is very important to monitor the current condition of the Citarum river pollution, including microplastic pollution. This study aims to characterize the microplastic particles contained in sediments and macrozoobentos found in the upper Citarum river, and to identify the source of their pollution. The sediment and macrozoobenthos samples were taken by grab sampling method. Microplastic identification is carried out by Fenton’s oxydation method. Based on the results, macrozoobenthos species were only found at the Wangisagara sampling station. This indicates that the Upper Citarum River is still polluted, especially in the downstream. Microplastic particles were identified in all sediment samples with an average microplastic concentration of 15.7 particles / 100 g of wet sediment. The highest concentration of microplastics was found at the Nanjung sampling station. The potential sources of microplastic pollution in the Upper Citarum river are the textile industry activities and the accumulation of plastic waste. The types of microplastic particles identified in the Upper Citarum River are fibers and fragments with a predominantly size of 1001 - 5000 µm.