Baseline study on identification, characterization, distribution and abundance of microplastics in surface water from Ennore to Kovalam along the east coast of India

Abstract

Microplastics, as growing contaminants in current scenario, are an ecological threat to the surface water ecosystem. Our primary goal is to investigate the identification, characterization, distribution and abundance of microplastics throughout India's east coast, from Ennore to Kovalam. In accordance with the NOAA protocol, microplastics were examined in surface water samples. At all sampling sites, polymers like polyethylene (43%), polypropylene (42%) and polystyrene (15%) were often found. Surface water (total sample location = 34) were found to be contaminated with various types of microplastics ranging from 6 to 30 items/Location with a mean value of 12 items/Location. Microplastics examined from surface water in a variety of colours, including white (26%), black (16%), grey (12%), red (14%), blue (12%), yellow (10%) and green (10%). Microplastics identified by stereo microscope as well as analytical methods such as SEM and FTIR were utilized to explore the characterization of microplastics. The following are the most typical types of microplastic found in surface water: Fibres (59%), films (24%), fragments (10%) and pellets (7%). This research work is a baseline for study about microplastics contamination site from Ennore to Kovalam on East Coast of India.