AUTHOR=Mhiret Gela Sahlu , Aragaw Tadele Assefa 

TITLE=Abundance and Characterization of Microplastics in Main Urban Ditches Across the Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Science

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.831417

DOI=10.3389/fenvs.2022.831417

ISSN=2296-665X

ABSTRACT=Microplastics (MPs) pollution in water bodies, wastewater, and sewage is of concern due to their probable effects on the environment and human health. This study is a first-time attempt to evaluate the MPs occurrence, abundance, characteristics, and polymeric types in sediment and agglomerated sewage water from several urban ditches of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia in two-class sizes (i.e. >0.5 mm and <0.5 mm). Out of the total of 239 MPs particles, 61.09 % were of < 0.5 mm and this dominant fraction was of fragment shapes and transparent. The mean abundances of < 0.5 mm particles were 5 ± 1.00 items/50g in sediment and 3.00 ± 1.00 items/ml in Agglomerated sewage water. Similarly, the abundances of >0.5 mm fractions were 2 .33 ± 0.58 items/50g in sediment and 1.33 ± 0.58 items/ml in Agglomerated sewage water. Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA), and polyvinylchloride (PVC), were the most detected ones. However, PET and PVC were not detected in agglomerated sewage water samples.