ANALYSIS OF MICROPLASTICS IN KEJAWANAN HARBOR CIREBON

• Main Author: Shidqie Al Bani, Alif
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/82554
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Microplastics are plastics <5 mm in size that come from plastics that have been degraded by physical, chemical, and biological processes within a certain period of time. Cases of microplastic pollution in Indonesia, especially the Cirebon area in 2020 the volume of waste reached 1,319 m3/day. Recorded in the Cirebon coastal area there is an average of 106 kg of waste, most of which comes from human activities. Kejawanan Port Cirebon is one of the locations in Cirebon that is high in human activity. The presence of microplastic contamination in Kejawanan Harbor can cause losses to all aspects and harm the surrounding community. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a microplastic analysis research in Kejawanan Port Cirebon. The data used is primary data, namely sea surface water samples taken directly at Kejawanan Port Cirebon. Water samples were taken at 14 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. 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, microplastics of polyethylene, polyester, vinylidene chloride, polystyrene, and polyprophylene were found. The average abundance of microplastics per area and per volume in 2020 was 0.579 particles/m2 and 125.3 particles/m3 respectively and was dominated in the form of film and foam. Whereas in 2023 with sampling in 10 locations, mostly in Kejawanan Harbor, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene, vinylidene chloride, polyester, and polyamide 6 were found. The average abundance per area and per volume of microplastics in 2023 was 3.86 particles/m2 and 17,090.9 particles/m3 respectively and was dominated by fiber and granule forms. Although there is no exact comparison between the results of 2020 and 2023, 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.