Effect of inappropriate solid waste on microplastic contamination in Balasore district and its aquatic environment

Abstract

Microplastic infection is now one of the world’s key environmental concerns. The most significant causes of microplastic contamination in aquatic ecosystems are coastal villages, coastal landfill sites, shipping activities and coastal dumping areas. Microplastic ingestion has been described in an inclusive assortment of aquatic ecosystems from different trophic levels. This paper provides scientific evidence of microplastic contamination in solid waste from various coastal sites in the Balasore district. The coastal village environment is composite sand soils and comprises numerous contaminants that have substantial effects on the detection of characterization results. Significant differences in the results of ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy determine many pollutants that are possibly affected by different aspects, including sampling and instrumental settings. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) has been applied for the first time to the detection of microplastic content in solid wastes. In comparison with other techniques like Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, it allows the detection of smaller microparticles. Microplastics in the solid wastes occur at variable size from nm to µm and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy with Fourier transform infrared techniques are suitable for screening. In addition, gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) is becoming a valuable component of analytical platforms for monitoring plastic content. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging also detects different shapes of microplastics in solid wastes. Our study offers fresh perspectives on critical environmental areas for further research as well as how rural populations worldwide should be involved in the future studies on plastic pollution. The presence of microplastics in solid waste has led to increased scrutiny and calls for regulation. Governments and organizations are exploring policies to reduce plastic waste and mitigate its impacts on the environment and human health.