Abundance and Characterization of Microplastics in Main Urban Ditches Across the Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia

Sahlu Mhiret Gela,Tadele Assefa Aragaw

doi:10.3389/fenvs.2022.831417

Sahlu Mhiret Gela, Tadele Assefa Aragaw

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.831417

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Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) pollution in water bodies, wastewater, and sewage is of concern due to their probable effects on the environment and human health. This study is a first-time attempt to evaluate MPs occurrence, abundance, characteristics, and polymeric types in sediment and agglomerated sewage water from several urban ditches in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, in two class sizes (&gt; 0.5 and &lt; 0.5 mm). Out of the total of 239 MP particles, 61.09% were of &lt;0.5 mm and this dominant fraction was transparent and consisted of fragmentary shapes. The mean abundances of &lt;0.5 mm particles were 5 ± 1.00 items/50 g in sediment and 3.00 ± 1.00 items/ml in agglomerated sewage water. Similarly, the abundances of &gt;0.5 mm fractions were 2.33 ± 0.58 items/50 g in sediment and 1.33 ± 0.58 items/50 ml in Agglomerated sewage water. Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA), and polyvinylchloride (PVC), were the most detected plastics. However, PET and PVC were not detected in the agglomerated sewage water samples.

Highlights

Plastic pollution of the marine and the terrestrial environment, in oceans and inland waters, has recently gained awareness as a global issue (Auta et al, 2017)
The worldwide presence of plastics in the land-based and marine environment increased due to the exponential plastic production resulting in enormous consequences to ecological imbalance
This study was carried out to demonstrate the MP’s pollution in the urban ditches (Bahir Dar) which is adjacent to Blue Nile River to conclude Bahir Dar City to be inputting plastic to the nearby water bodies

Summary

Introduction

Plastic pollution of the marine and the terrestrial environment, in oceans and inland waters, has recently gained awareness as a global issue (Auta et al, 2017). World plastic waste would add up to 12 billion tons covering the globe by 2050 (Henry et al, 2019). With weathering from various environmental sources, macroplastics are subject to degradation, becoming microplastics (MPs) (< 5 mm) which were first investigated and described in the 1970s (Carpenter and Smith, 1972; Carpenter et al, 1972). In terms of their origin, MPs can be grouped as primary MPs and secondary MPs. Primary MPs are small-sized industrially manufactured pellets, microbeads, and fragments

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