Assessment of microplastic in surface water and sediments of Tullahan River at North Fairview, Quezon City/
Pia M. Bacolod, Kharin Heinz T. Salmone, Ma. Rheabelle S. Villarba .--
- Manila: Technological University of the Philippines, 2024.
- vi, 254pages: 29cm. +1 CD-ROM (4 3/4in.)
Thesis (undergraduate)
College of Science .--
Includes bibliography:
The study aimed to determine anthropogenic activities and characterize, identify the type, and compare the abundance of microplastics in surface water and sediments in Tullahan River at North Fairview, Quezon City during two sampling periods, in December 2023 and March 2024. Three sites were selected: an area surrounded by residential area (site 1), an area adjacent to transportation infrastructures (site 2), and an area near school and educational activities (site 3). Surface water and sediment samples were collected using the grab sampling method. Anthropogenic activities were identified using survey questionnaires, interviews, and visual observation by the researchers. The results revealed that the use of single-use plastics and the direct disposal of waste into the river by residents are leading human-induced activities in the sites. The collected MPs were extracted using manual separation, involving filtration for the surface water, and sieves were utilized for sediments. The isolated MPs were identified using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). In the study, the abundance of MPs in sediments was higher than in surface water. Site 1 had the highest number of quantified MPs during the two sampling periods. The most abundant types of MPs found in surface water were polyester, styrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene. On the other hand, the most identified types of MPs in sediments were polyvinyl chloride, polyacetylene, and polyethylene. The results suggest that other factors aside from anthropogenic activities contribute to the accumulation of MPs, including the insufficient strict policy implementation of proper waste disposal by other informal settlers, and the existence of the embankments along the river prohibit people from conducting clean-up drives within the river.