Investigation on Microplastics in Soil near Landfills in the Republic of Korea

Won-Kyu Kim, Hanbai Park, Kazuei Ishii and Geun-Yong Ham ()
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Won-Kyu Kim: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 119 Academy-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon National University, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
Hanbai Park: Korea Microplastic Research Center Co., Ltd., 2nd Floor, 88, Daejeo-Ro 299 St., Busan 46702, Republic of Korea
Kazuei Ishii: Laboratory of Sustainable Material Cycle Systems, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13, Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628, Hokkaido, Japan
Geun-Yong Ham: Laboratory of Sustainable Material Cycle Systems, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13, Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628, Hokkaido, Japan

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-14

Abstract: Microplastics can cause physical, chemical, biological, and structural problems in soil. In this study, microplastics were identified in the soil near two landfills where contamination by microplastics was expected. Pretreatment was performed to remove organic matter and to separate microplastics from the soil samples. FT-IR microscope analysis was performed to confirm the quantity and types of microplastics. The colors and shapes of microplastics in the soil were analyzed using a digital microscope. Averages of 73.4 MPs(ea)/kg and 97.8 MPs(ea)/kg of microplastics were identified in the soil at the two landfills. The main shapes of microplastics were fragments, fibers, and films, and it was confirmed that secondary plastics were found at a high rate. The major plastic types were identified as PP and PE, ranging from 62.5 to 65.3% in proportion, followed by PET, PS, nylon, PMMA, and PVC. As for the colors of microplastics, black had the highest percentage, while other microplastics were identified as being white, blue, transparent, gray, green, red, and yellow. These results can be taken as important data indicating that microplastics in the soil around landfills can be affected by landfill waste.

Keywords: microplastics; soil; landfill; FT-IR; shape; color; composition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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