Open access Research Articles Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026)

Microplastic Abundance in Surface Water and Sediment of a Tropical Urban River Estuary in South Sulawesi

Kelimpahan Mikroplastik pada Air Permukaan dan Sedimen Estuari Sungai Perkotaan Tropis di Sulawesi Selatan

Authors

  • Nur Aisyah Rahman Department of Environmental Science, Universitas Contoh Makassar Author
  • Budi Santoso Research Center for Oceanography, Institut Contoh Nusantara Author
  • Dewi Lestari Department of Marine Science, Universitas Contoh Makassar Author
Pages
1-2
Published
2026-06-30
License
CC BY 4.0

Abstract

Rivers are a major pathway of plastic debris from land to the ocean, yet data from eastern Indonesian estuaries remain scarce. This study quantified microplastic abundance, shape, colour and polymer type in surface water and sediment at six stations along an urban river estuary in South Sulawesi. Water samples were collected with a 300 µm manta net and sediment with an Ekman grab, then processed by wet peroxide oxidation and density separation. Polymers were identified with FTIR spectroscopy. Mean abundance was 4.8 ± 1.6 particles m-3 in surface water and 182 ± 47 particles kg-1 dry sediment, both highest near the densely populated upstream stations. Fibres and fragments dominated, and polyethylene and polypropylene were the main polymers. The results support stronger solid waste management in riverbank settlements and routine microplastic monitoring.

Keywords

  • microplastics
  • estuary
  • sediment
  • FTIR
  • Sulawesi

References

Andrady, A. L. (2011). Microplastics in the marine environment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62(8), 1596–1605.

Hidalgo-Ruz, V., Gutow, L., Thompson, R. C., & Thiel, M. (2012). Microplastics in the marine environment: A review of the methods used for identification and quantification. Environmental Science & Technology, 46(6), 3060–3075.

Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., Narayan, R., & Law, K. L. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768–771.

Lebreton, L. C. M., van der Zwet, J., Damsteeg, J.-W., Slat, B., Andrady, A., & Reisser, J. (2017). River plastic emissions to the world's oceans. Nature Communications, 8, 15611.

Masura, J., Baker, J., Foster, G., & Arthur, C. (2015). Laboratory methods for the analysis of microplastics in the marine environment (NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS-OR&R-48). NOAA Marine Debris Program.

How to Cite

Rahman, N. A., Santoso, B., & Lestari, D. (2026). Microplastic Abundance in Surface Water and Sediment of a Tropical Urban River Estuary in South Sulawesi. EnviroTech: Journal Environmental Science and Technology, 1(1), 1-2. https://journalscinova.com/envirotech/article/view/1

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