ANALYSIS OF THE POTENTIAL OCCURRENCE OF SPECIFIC POLLUTANTS AND MICROPLASTICS IN WASTEWATER FROM THE USE OF PERSONAL CARE AND COSMETIC PRODUCTS (PCCPS) FOR FACIAL CLEANSING.

• Main Author: Ramadhanti Akbar, Atiya
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Teknik saniter dan perkotaan; teknik perlindungan lingkungan
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/76629
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Personal Care and Cosmetic Products (PCCPs) such as toothpaste, facial cleansers, sunscreen, deodorants, soaps, shampoos, and others in the form of microbeads are one of the primary sources of microplastic discharge into the environment. Microplastics are used by PCCPs for various purposes, such as exfoliation and cleansing (microbeads), as well as to prolong the fragrance in PCCPs. One of the PCCPs that contribute to specific contaminants and microplastics in greywater effluent is facial cleansers. The purpose of this study is to identify the features of wastewater produced by the use of Personal Care and Cosmetic Products (PCCPs), specifically facial cleansers. The study's goals are to assess the possible amount of certain contaminants in wastewater, measure the emission of microplastics discharged in wastewater, and examine the features of the microplastics discovered, such as size distribution and shape. The selection of samples for testing will be based on both primary and secondary data. Primary data or this research is obtained from questionnaires distributed to the residents of Bandung City, while secondary data comes from Top Brand Award statistical analysis on the use of facial cleansers in Indonesia. Samples A, B, C, and D are derived from these two data sources. The sample preparation is conducted by dissolving 1 gram (wet weight) of the product in tap water to form a 1000 mL sample solution. Tap water is used to imitate the original conditions of face washing activities, which are normally performed with tap water. From the sample solution, eight types of tests are conducted to determine the chemical-physical parameters and microplastic content in the wastewater. The tests include pH testing, total suspended solids test, total dissolved solids test, total and dissolved COD test, total P, NTK, and microplastic content test. The physical-chemical parameter tests are conducted following the guidelines outlined in the "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater" published by the American Public Health Association (APHA). However, because there are no standard methods for assessing microplastics, numerous literature sources were used as references for this study. These are the results of the testing yielded the following physical-chemical characteristics of wastewater generated from the use of Personal Care and Cosmetic Products (PCCPs) specifically facial cleansers, in consecutive order for Samples A, B, C, and D: 1) The pH values are 7.21, 7.05, 7.21, and 7.22 for the respective samples. 2) The concentrations of Total COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) are 1149.27 mg/L, 1022.52 mg/L, 973.44 mg/L, and 595.08 mg/L. 3) The concentrations of Dissolved COD are 876.86 mg/L, 740.90 mg/L, 849.47 mg/L, and 446.01 mg/L. 4) The concentrations of Total P (Total Phosphorus) for each sample are 2.05 mg/L, 3.25 mg/L, 1.04 mg/L, and 1.85 mg/L. 5) The concentrations of Total N (Total Nitrogen) are 4.06 mg/L, 1.4 mg/L, 2.8 mg/L, and 2.71 mg/L. 6) There is no information provided for parameter 6. 7) The TSS (Total Suspended Solids) values for the respective samples are 229 mg/L, 55.67 mg/L, 0 mg/L, and 344.33 mg/L. 8) The TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) values for the respective samples are 361 mg/L, 410.33 mg/L, 344.33 mg/L, and 332.67 mg/L. The average specific pollutant generation in greywater from household-scale calculations is as follows: Dissolved COD: 1.87 g/capita/day, total COD: 1.457 g/capita/day, total P: 0.004 g/capita/day, total N: 0.005 g/capita/day, TSS: 0.429 g/capita/day, and TDS: 0.724 g/capita/day. The microplastics emission released into greywater from the use of facial cleanser PCCPs is as follows: 719 ± 66 particles/L for Sample A, 1261 ± 49 particles/L for Sample B, 2823 ± 567 particles/L for Sample C, and 443 ± 28 particles/L for Sample D. It was found that the majority of microplastics in the wastewater from facial cleansers are in the form of fragments for Samples A, B, and D, accounting for 52%, 67%, and 64%, respectively. Meanwhile, for Sample C, the most common form of microplastics found is pellets, comprising 41% of the total. Furthermore, based on size characterization, it was observed that in Samples A and D, a significant proportion of particles fell within the range of 10-49 µm, accounting for 49% in Sample A and 66% in Sample D. On the other hand, Samples B and C had the highest concentration of particles in the range of 100-499 µm, representing 36% in Sample B and 45% in Sample C. To confirm that the particles obtained are indeed microplastics, it is recommended to conduct FT-IR analysis as a confirmation test for the microplastic particles found in the wastewater from the use of facial cleanser PCCPs.