Seasonal Variations
of Microplastic Contamination in Surface Water of The Krishna River, Telangana
Laxmi R. and Singh Rahul
Res. J. Chem. Environ.; Vol. 29(2); 26-36;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/292rjce026036; (2025)
Abstract
The distributions, chemical compositions and fate of plastics in aqua thabitats
are still poorly understood, even though research on plastic contamination in freshwater
and marinesystems is ongoing. This study aims to investigate the polymers of microplastic
contamination in surface waters in the Krishna River. In this study, the occurrence,
abundance and distribution, of micro-plastics were assessed in the surface water
of Krishna River. In the Krishna River, the sites were sampled using a 50μm mesh-sized
student plankton net and were analysed for micro-plastics. All the micro-plastics
were secondary being derived from plastic materials utilized by the community. Plastic
varieties that are found in the Krishna River, are polypropylene (PP), polyethylene
(PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS)
and nylon 66 (N- 66).
The occurrence of micro-plastics derived from the degradation of large plastic debris
implies that proper plastic waste management measures be implemented in the communities
operating on the lake and in its vicinity to safeguard the ecosystem benefits derived
from the lake. The description and application of analytical methods include estimations
of ambient contamination during sample collecting and processing. To measure and
detect micro-plastic particles, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and
Pyrolysis-gas Chromatography (PyrGC/MS) were used.
