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Occurrence, abundance, and distribution of microplastics pollution: an evidence in surface tropical water of Klang River estuary, Malaysia

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Abstract

Microplastics have been considered as contaminants of emerging concern due to ubiquity in the environment; however, the occurrence of microplastics in river estuaries is scarcely investigated. The Klang River estuary is an important ecosystem that receives various contaminants from urbanised, highly populated areas and the busiest maritime centre in Selangor, Malaysia. This study investigates the abundance and characteristics of microplastics in surface water of the Klang River estuary. The abundance of microplastics ranged from 0.5 to 4.5 particles L–1 with a mean abundance of 2.47 particles L–1. There is no correlation between the abundance of microplastics and physicochemical properties, while there is a strong correlation between salinity and conductivity. The microplastics were characterised with a stereomicroscope and attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to analyse size, shape, colour, and polymer composition. The microplastics in the surface water were predominantly in the 300–1000 μm size class, followed by > 1000 μm and < 300 μm, and were mostly transparent fibres, fragments, and pellets. Polyamide and polyethylene were the main polymer types in the composition of the microplastics, suggesting that the microplastics originated from heavily urbanised and industrial locations such as the port, jetty, and residential areas. The widespread occurrence of microplastics in the environment and subsequent penetration of aquatic food webs may pose a serious threat to organisms. This study provides baseline data and a framework for further investigation of microplastic contamination in estuaries.

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Availability of data and material

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgement

This project has been carried out under project Long Term Research Grant Scheme (LRGS/1/2016/UTM/01/1/5) provided by Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia. Zaki M. R. M. would also like to acknowledge Wee, S.Y., Ismail, N.A.H., Nasir, H.M., postgraduate students, and laboratory staffs from Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Institute of Advanced Technology and Institute of Bioscience who directly or indirectly helped throughout the project.

Funding

This project has been carried out under project Long Term Research Grant Scheme (LRGS/1/2016/UTM/01/1/5) provided by Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environment, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Muhammad Rozaimi Mohd Zaki, Peh Xin Ying, Azim Haziq Zainuddin, Muhammad Raznisyafiq Razak & Ahmad Zaharin Aris

  2. International Institute of Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 71050, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

    Ahmad Zaharin Aris

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  1. Muhammad Rozaimi Mohd Zaki
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  2. Peh Xin Ying
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  3. Azim Haziq Zainuddin
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  4. Muhammad Raznisyafiq Razak
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Contributions

The study was designed by MRMZ, XYP, A.HZ, MRR, and AZA. The experiments were planned and performed by MRMZ, XYP, and AHZ. The modelling was performed by MRMZ, XYP, and MRR. The manuscript was written by MRMZ, XYP., AHZ, MRR, and AZA. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ahmad Zaharin Aris.

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Zaki, M.R.M., Ying, P.X., Zainuddin, A.H. et al. Occurrence, abundance, and distribution of microplastics pollution: an evidence in surface tropical water of Klang River estuary, Malaysia. Environ Geochem Health 43, 3733–3748 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-021-00872-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-021-00872-8

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