Microplastic Pollution From Agricultural Plastic Mulching In West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Microplastics are emerging as significant environmental pollutants, with most research focusing on aquatic ecosystems, leaving terrestrial environments—particularly agricultural soils—less studied. This study investigated the abundance, shape, size, and polymer types of microplastics in horticultural soils utilizing plastic mulch in Cipanas, Puncak, and Dago Pakar, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The highest concentration of microplastics was found in the topsoil (0-10 cm) at 42.23 ± 16.76 particles/kg, followed by 22.23 ± 13.85 particles/kg at 10-20 cm and 11.10 ± 10.18 particles/kg at 20-30 cm. Fragments (23%), fibers (9%), and foam (3%) were the next most prevalent types of microplastics (after film-shaped microplastics, which accounted for 65%). The most common sizes were 1–100 μm (53%) and 101–300 μm (26%) in diameter. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis identified polyethylene (PE) (47.1%) and polypropylene (PP) (32.4%) as the primary polymer types. These results underscore the widespread microplastic pollution in agricultural soils caused by plastic mulch, emphasizing the need for further research and improved land management practices to mitigate microplastic contamination in agroecosystems.