Determination of plastic pollution and its degradation in soil at chili fertigation area / Muhammad Amirul Nazmi Muhammad Alfian

Plastics are popular due to their affordability, adaptability, and durability. However, poor management and high manufacturing make plastic trash an environmental hazard. 2015's oceans received 250 million tonnes of plastic. Microplastics were first found in marine environments, but they now accumulate in soils. Plants can also absorb and transport microplastics. Plastic mulch has increased globally in agriculture over the past decade, warming soil and improving crop yields. However, soil contamination and microplastics spread. Biodegradable plastics and poor waste management pollute soil microplastics. Fruit packing foam, used in agriculture for aesthetics, efficiency, and hygiene, also contains microplastics. However, buried foam can break and contaminate farmlands. The research area was conducted at Kebun Cili Fertigasi DinDang, Sungai Petani, Kedah (5.5721227244559355, 100.47853462026741). There are presences of plastic particles in soil samples after ATR-FTIR analysis has been performed on the samples. Therefore, this research study was conducted in order to extract plastic from soil sample taken from the research area and to identify the plastic pollution that present. The process that went through to obtain the product were soil sampling, soil & plastic size separation, density separation, alkaline digestion and FTIR analysis. The product that obtained from the soil sample was identified as polyethylene through FTIR spectrum. Therefore, FTIR analysis was successful as the best method to identify the type of plastic present and also to find the characteristic of the plastic for further examination.