Identification and Characterization of Microplastics in Riverine Environment, Cauvery River (Mysore), Karnataka, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55863/ijees.2025.0655Keywords:
Freshwater Environment, FTIR Analysis, Microplastics, Sediment, StereomicroscopeAbstract
Microplastics (MPs) have received extensive attention as an emerging environmental pollutant. They are ubiquitous in the freshwater system and have triggered a global environmental concern. The MP contents in the Cauvery River sediments are inadequately understood due to a lack of quantification of sources, stores, and intermediates. In sediment samples concentration of MPs ranged from 40 ± 22 items kg”1 and 150 ± 56 items kg”1 in the upstream and downstream of KRS dam respectively, microplastics are found in various shapes, colours, and compositions, with red, dark brown, white, transparent. FTIR Spectroscopy analytical technique identified and analysed MP components (PP, PET, PE, and Nylon). The study emphasizes the importance of identifying and addressing microplastics in freshwater environments to mitigate their impact on aquatic ecosystems and inform policymakers.
References
Ali, I., Ding, T., Peng, C., Naz, I., Sun, H., Li, J. and Liu, J. 2021. Micro- and nanoplastics in wastewater treatment plants: Occurrence, removal, fate, impacts and remediation technologies – A critical review. Chemical Engineering Journal, 423, 130205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021. 130205
Amrutha, K., Shajikumar, S., Warrier, A.K., Sebastian, J.G., Sali, Y.A., Chandran, T., Sivadas, S., Naik, R., Amrish, V.N., Kumar, A. and Unnikrishnan, V. 2022. Assessment of pollution and risks associated with microplastics in the riverine sediments of the Western Ghats: a heritage site in southern India. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(12), 32301-32319. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-24437-z
Andrade, J.M., Ferreiro, B., López-Mahía, P. and Muniategui-Lorenzo, S. 2020. Standardization of the minimum information for publication of infrared-related data when microplastics are characterized. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 154, 111035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020. 111035
Anonymous. 2012. Guide to Microplastic Identification. Marine & Environmental Research Institute, Blue Hill, ME, USA. 15 pages. https://ise.usj.edu.mo/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/MERI_Guide-to-Microplastic-Identification _s.pdf
Blair, R.M., Waldron, S., Phoenix, V.R. and Gauchotte-Lindsay, C. 2019. Microscopy and elemental analysis characterization of microplastics in sediment of a freshwater urban river in Scotland, UK. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(12), 12491-12504. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04678-1
Chauhan, J.S., Semwal, D., Nainwal, M., Badola, N. and Thapliyal, P. 2021. Investigation of microplastic pollution in river Alaknanda stretch of Uttarakhand. Environment Development and Sustainability, 23(11), 16819-16833. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01388-y
Chen, Y., Wen, D., Pei, J., Fei, Y., Ouyang, D., Zhang, H. and Luo, Y. 2020. Identification and quantification of microplastics using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy: Current status and future prospects. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 18, 14-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2020.05.004
Dalu, T., Banda, T., Mutshekwa, T., Munyai, L.F. and Cuthbert, R.N. 2021. Effects of urbanisation and a wastewater treatment plant on microplastic densities along a subtropical river system. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(27), 36102-36111. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13185-1
Eerkes-Medrano, D., Thompson, R.C. and Aldridge, D.C. 2015. Microplastics in freshwater systems: A review of the emerging threats, identification of knowledge gaps and prioritisation of research needs. Water Research, 75, 63-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2015.02.012
Esterhuizen, M. and Kim, Y. J. 2021. Effects of polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane, high-density polyethylene, and polystyrene microplastic on Nelumbo nucifera (Lotus) in water and sediment. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(12), 17580-17590. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-17033-0
Fältström, E. and Anderberg, S. 2020. Towards control strategies for microplastics in urban water. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(32), 40421-40433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10064-z
Fiore, L., Serranti, S., Mazziotti, C., Riccardi, E., Benzi, M. and Bonifazi, G. 2022. Classification and distribution of freshwater microplastics along the Italian Po River by hyperspectral imaging. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(32), 48588-48606. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-18501-x
Gallitelli, L., Battisti, C., Pietrelli, L. and Scalici, M. 2022. Anthropogenic particles in coypu (Myocastor coypus; Mammalia, Rodentia) faeces: First evidence and considerations about their use as track for detecting microplastic pollution. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(36), 55293-55301. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21032-0
Imhof, H.K., Ivleva, N.P., Schmid, J., Niessner, R. and Laforsch, C. 2013. Contamination of beach sediments of a subalpine lake with microplastic particles. Current Biology, 23(19), R867-R868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.09. 001
Ivleva, N.P. 2021. Chemical analysis of microplastics and nanoplastics: Challenges, advanced methods, and perspectives. Chemical Reviews, 121(19), 11886-11936. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00178
Kallenbach, E.M.F., Friberg, N., Lusher, A., Jacobsen, D. and Hurley, R.R. 2022. Anthropogenically impacted lake catchments in Denmark reveal low microplastic pollution. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(31), 47726-47739. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19001-8
Kärkkäinen, N. and Sillanpää, M. 2021. Quantification of different microplastic fibres discharged from textiles in machine wash and tumble drying. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(13), 16253-16263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11988-2
Karlsson, T.M., Kärrman, A., Rotander, A. and Hassellöv, M. 2019. Comparison between manta trawl and in situ pump filtration methods, and guidance for visual identification of microplastics in surface waters. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(5), 5559-5571. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07274-5
Kolenda, K., Kuœmierek, N. and Pstrowska, K. 2020. Microplastic ingestion by tadpoles of pond-breeding amphibians—first results from Central Europe (SW Poland). Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(26), 33380-33384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09648-6
Li, R., Zhang, L., Xue, B. and Wang, Y. 2019. Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in the mangrove sediment of the semi-enclosed Maowei Sea of the south China sea: New implications for location, rhizosphere, and sediment compositions. Environmental Pollution, 244, 685-692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.10.089
Möller, J.N., Löder, M.G.J. and Laforsch, C. 2020. Finding Microplastics in Soils: A Review of Analytical Methods. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(4), 2078-2090. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04618
Patel, A.K., Bhagat, C., Taki, K. and Kumar, M. 2020. Microplastic vulnerability in the sediments of the Sabarmati River of India. In: Kumar, M., Munoz-Arriola, F., Furumai, H. and Chaminda, T. (Eds.). Resilience, Response, and Risk in Water Systems . Springer Transactions in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4668-6_7
Ram, B. and Kumar, M. 2020. Correlation appraisal of antibiotic resistance with fecal, metal and microplastic contamination in a tropical Indian river, lakes and sewage. Npj Clean Water, 3(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-020-0050-1
Ryan, M.G., Watkins, L. and Walter, M.T. 2019. Hudson River juvenile Blueback herring avoid ingesting microplastics. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 146, 935-939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.07.004
Schröder, K., Kossel, E. and Lenz, M. 2021. Microplastic abundance in beach sediments of the Kiel Fjord, Western Baltic Sea. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(21), 26515-26528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-12220-x
Schütze, B., Thomas, D., Kraft, M., Brunotte, J. and Kreuzig, R. 2022. Comparison of different salt solutions for density separation of conventional and biodegradable microplastic from solid sample matrices. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(54), 81452-81467. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21474-6
Singh, N., Mondal, A., Bagri, A., Tiwari, E., Khandelwal, N., Monikh, F.A. and Darbha, G.K. 2021. Characteristics and spatial distribution of microplastics in the lower Ganga River water and sediment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 163, 111960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111960
Sruthy, S. and Ramasamy, E. 2016. Microplastic pollution in Vembanad Lake, Kerala, India: The first report of microplastics in lake and estuarine sediments in India. Environmental Pollution, 222, 315-322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.12.038
Tamminga, M., Hengstmann, E., Deuke, A. and Fischer, E.K. 2021. Microplastic concentrations, characteristics, and fluxes in water bodies of the Tollense catchment, Germany, with regard to different sampling systems. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(8), 11345-11358. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16106-4
Zhao, H., Zhou, Y., Han, Y., Sun, Y., Ren, X., Zhang, Z. and Wang, Q. 2022. Pollution status of microplastics in the freshwater environment of China: a mini review. Water Emerging Contaminants and Nanoplastics, 1, 5. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/wecn.2021.05
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Ahmed Idriss Aldoma Alfadol, Raju, N.S., Asha Shree, N.R., Abhilash, M.R., Ahmed Abdallah Adam Mohamed
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
