Investigation of Microplastic Pollution in Sediments from the Port of Tripoli, Libya

Abstract

The heightened concern for microplastics in the environment and coastal regions drives investigations into their presence in the environment, including seacoasts, to minimize plastic leakage into the ecosystem. This study was conducted in the west of Libya to identify the microplastics in different locations near the Port of Tripoli on the Mediterranean Sea. It employed GIS to determine the study areas and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to analyze and identify the microplastics. The study collected samples from 15 points of a selected site (Section A) on the coastline of the Port of Tripoli between May 2022 and May 2023 and recorded the highest average MP (polymer)/area. The FTIR analysis showed that the polymers in the samples from Section A consist of ten types of microplastics, primarily polyethylene (40%), polypropylene (26%), and polystyrene (13%). This study is the first to determine their presence at the Port of Tripoli in the west of Libya. Analysis of the samples from Section A demonstrated that the adopted techniques efficiently identified the Microplastic contamination.