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ABSTRACT
Microplastic occurrence in the aquatic ecosystem has become of great concern worldwide because of its persistence, durability, and toxicity. Microplastics are found ubiquitous in freshwater environments, including rivers. Thus, our study assesses microplastic pollution in water, sediment, and fish of the Kahayan River, Indonesia. We first evaluated microplastics’ occurrence, abundance, and characteristics in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The average abundance of microplastic in water was 2.92 ± 2.62 items/L, while in sediment was 6.93 ± 3.15 items/Kg dry weight. We found 53 out of 90 fish (58.89%) had microplastics in their digestive tracts with an average abundance of 2.03 ± 3.416 items/Ind. The predominant characteristics in water were fragment and fibre and size of 150-<300 µm. Microplastics present in the sediment and the digestive tract of fish have similar dominant fibre. In terms of size, sediments and fish were dominated by 150-<300 µm, 1000–5000 µm, and 500-<1000 µm respectively with different order of proportions. The infrared spectroscopic analysis confirmed the most common polymer type to be polyvinyl chloride in water and sediment, while polyethylene was predominant in fish. Our study provides the current status of microplastic contamination for further evaluation and management of the Kahayan River, Indonesia.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Author contributions
Zakiah: Manuscript writing, Content review & editing, Conceptualization, Investigation, Data collection & analysis, Result interpretation, Project administration. Etty Riani: Investigation, Visualization, Data analysis, Manuscript writing, Content review & editing, Supervision. Taryono: Investigation, Visualization, Data analysis, Manuscript writing, Content review & editing, Supervision. Muhammad Reza Cordova: Manuscript writing, Content review & editing, Resources, Methodology, Formal analysis, Data curation, Supervision.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Zakiah
Zakiah, a master's student of aquatic resource management, writes about microplastics for theses and other scientific papers. The microplastic research currently being carried out focuses on The Kahayan River located in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Etty Riani
Etty Riani, a professor of ecotoxicology, writes on microplastics, additives, and contamination of dangerous and toxic materials in aquatic ecosystems. Through her numerous scientific papers and contributions to scientific activities, she is not only a resource person but also actively defends the environment in court and actively reviews various government policies, especially those that touch on marine ecosystems.
Taryono
Dr. Taryono is a Lecturer in the Management of Coastal and Ocean Resources study program. He writes about fisheries' socio-economics, policies, and institutional analysis of fisheries' logistics. He is actively a resource for webinars and training in the field of fisheries management.
Muhammad Reza Cordova
Muhammad Reza Cordova, a professor of marine pollution, writes on marine debris and microplastics in coastal and marine ecosystems. His research extends from analyzing sources of debris on land and its distribution and accumulation in coastal and marine ecosystems to exploring the impact of plastic debris in marine protected areas and developing strategies to overcome plastic pollution. He has contributed significantly to numerous scientific papers and scientific activities with a focus on marine debris and microplastics. He received prestigious awards, including the Indonesian Most Prospective Innovation in 2011, the Best Innovation Award from the De Hitachi Global Foundation Asia Innovation Award, and the People and Inspiration Award 2020 in the Science and Technology category.