Occurrence of microplastics in soil of Surat (diamond city, India): characterization, statistical analysis, ecological risk assessment and greenness evaluation Pinal S. Bhavsar, Anil H. Gore Tarsadia Institute of Chemical Science, Uka Tarsadia University, Maliba Campus, India This study examines microplastics for the first time in roadside, residential, and industrial soil in Diamond City, Surat (Gujarat, India) in terms of their abundance, distribution, chemical composition, and ecological risk assessment. A stereomicroscope and FT-IR-ATR spectroscopy were used to measure the physical and chemical properties of MPs. The outcome showed that microplastics were pervasive in Surat city’s soil, with an average abundance of 103.2±57.28 particles/100 gm. Using a NaCl and ZnCl 2 solution, the low-density plastic particles were completely separated. Due to their widespread use in single-use products and the composition of MPs in Surat, over 90% of all MPs were made of PE, PP, and PET polymers. The white/transparent coloured MPs fragments having size about 2-5 mm are predominantly available. The microplastics abundance in Surat was comparatively low when compared to published data on soil microplastics contamination in other city regions across the world. Additionally, in the current research ecological risk assessment of MPs in soil, the pollution load index (PLI), polymer hazard index (PHI), and ecological risk index (ERI) of MPs were studied. There is a significant amount of monitoring data and simulation data being used to enhance the MPs ecological risk assessment indicator. PLI values greater than 1 were observed, indicating that all sampling sites were polluted with MPs. Based on the amount, type of polymer, and toxicity of MPs found in the soil sample, an evaluation of ecological hazards concluded that there is a moderate to medium ecological risk associated with MPs polluting city soil. The greenness profile was assessed using the software-based Analytical Greenness Metric (AGREE) tools. This assessment substantiated the environmental friendliness of the method in terms of solvent consumption, chemical substances, energy consumption and waste generation.
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