STUDY ON MICROPLASTICS OCCURRENCE IN THE LOWER DANUBE RIVER WATER

Microplastics are considered emerging pollutants of growing concern due to their ubiquitous presence and toxic potential in the aquatic ecosystem. However, there are few studies assessing the occurrence of microplastics in freshwaters, most articles are focused rather on the marine environment. Due to the lack of standardized protocols for separating and analyzing microplastics, different methods are described in the literature data. In this paper, FT-IR spectrometry coupled with microscopy (micro-FT-IR) was applied to identify the presence of microplastics in the Predeltaic sector of the Danube River. Based on the morphological classification, the microplastics collected were fragments, films, and fibers. The results of micro-FT-IR analysis confirmed the majority presence of polyethylene and polypropylene-based microplastic particles in water.