Assessment of Micro-Plastics in Guts Content of Fish in Semedang River- Kuching Using ATR-FTIR

Isaac John Umaru^1,2* & Hauwa Umaru, A.³

¹Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, University Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
²Department of Biochemistry, Federal University Wukari, Nigeria
³Department of Biochemistry, Moddibo Adama Federal University of Technology Yola Adamawa State, Nigeria

Dr. Isaac John Umaru, Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, University Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia.

Keywords: Micro-Plastics; Environment; Remote Area; Fresh Water; Semedang

Abstract

Background and Objective
The impact of micro-plastic in the fresh water organism. And the aim of the study was to asses’ micro-plastic in the guts of fresh water fish using Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (AIT-FTIR).
Material and Methods
Net and cast net used at 10 sampling stations. The sampling stations were divided equally between upper stream and downstream. The microplastic extracted from the fish gastrointestinal had been categorized into shapes by using light microscope and Fourier Transform Infrared Attenuated Total Reflectance was used to analysis the plastic samples.
Results and Discussions
The species Dermogenys pusillus, Mastacembelus maculatus, Puntius sealei, Rasbora myersi, Rasbora sumatrana with a stomach Weight (g) of 0.43 ±3.22, 0.82 ± 2.01, 0.52 ± 0.3, 0.31 ± 0.6 and 0.72 ± 4.31 respetively was observed to have microplastic; Fibers, Foams, Fragments and Beads within the range of 1-13 respectively in all the fish collected. This was revealed by the presence of some low density polymers materials from Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier transform infrared chromatogram as shown in figure a, b, c, d.

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