| dc.description.abstract | The world currently produces about 300 million tons of plastic per year, whereas only 20% of plastic waste is recycled or incinerated. Most plastic ends up in landfills or is dumped into the ocean. Large pieces of plastic typically go through various degradation processes that can alter the plastic polymer. Plastic particles measuring < 5 mm are called microplastics. Lake Siombak is a tidal lake formed due to sand dredging activities for the construction of the Belawan-Medan-Tanjung Morawa (Belmera) toll road. Lake Siombak also accommodates the inflow of the Bedera river and the flow of water into the surrounding ponds. However, there are pond and residential activities, including the existence of the Waterfall Landfill (TPA) which has the potential to cause pollution impacts to lake waters. The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of microplastics which include the shape and type of polymers, the abundance of microplastics and the influence of microplastic abundance in water with the abundance of microplastics in sediments in Lake Siombak. In this study, microplastics were obtained from the water and sediments of Lake Siombak and observed their shape and abundance using a microscope, and for the type of polymer, Raman Spectroscope was tested. Four forms of microplastics were found, namely fragments, films, fibers and pellets, the shape of fragments dominating at each sampling point. The abundance of microplastics in water ranges from 730-1475 particles / L, while in sediments ranges from 2150 - 4080 particles / kg. Microplastics potentially contain polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS). The relationship between microplastic abundance in water and microplastics in sediment was analyzed using the Pearson correlation test with a pearson correlation value of 0.694 which showed a strong correlation. | en_US |
