Detecting and measuring Microplastic pollution in Al Hoceima City's harbor, northern Morocco
This study investigates microplastic pollution in Al Hoceima City's harbor, Northern Morocco, with a focus on their isolation, identification, and quantification. In December 2023, surface water and sediment samples were systematically collected using manta nets and core samplers. The samples u...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016424004870 |
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| author | Iliass Achoukhi Yahya EL Hammoudani Khadija Haboubi Abdelhak Bourjila Abdelaziz Touzani Kamal Reklaoui Fouad Dimane |
| author_facet | Iliass Achoukhi Yahya EL Hammoudani Khadija Haboubi Abdelhak Bourjila Abdelaziz Touzani Kamal Reklaoui Fouad Dimane |
| author_sort | Iliass Achoukhi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigates microplastic pollution in Al Hoceima City's harbor, Northern Morocco, with a focus on their isolation, identification, and quantification. In December 2023, surface water and sediment samples were systematically collected using manta nets and core samplers. The samples underwent wet sieving, drying, and digestion using hydrogen peroxide with an iron catalyst to remove organic matter. Density separation with a saturated sodium chloride solution was employed to isolate microplastics, which were then analyzed using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy for polymer identification. The analysis revealed a dominance of polyethylene (70.2 %) and polypropylene (20.5 %) among the microplastics, primarily in fiber, fragment, and film forms, with sizes ranging from 0.10 to 6 mm. Predominant size categories were 0.2–0.5 mm, accounting for over 50 % of the total, and clear and blue were the most common colors. The average microplastic density was calculated at 9.40 ± 4.50 items/m³. This study highlights the widespread distribution of microplastics in the harbor, identifying their sources and impacts, while providing a robust methodology and findings to inform future marine pollution mitigation efforts in the Mediterranean region. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-62b9a152318d4d40ad6ec82c76615c6c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-0164 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-62b9a152318d4d40ad6ec82c76615c6c2025-01-08T04:53:28ZengElsevierCase Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering2666-01642025-06-0111101093Detecting and measuring Microplastic pollution in Al Hoceima City's harbor, northern MoroccoIliass Achoukhi0Yahya EL Hammoudani1Khadija Haboubi2Abdelhak Bourjila3Abdelaziz Touzani4Kamal Reklaoui5Fouad Dimane6Engineering Sciences and Applications Laboratory, National School of Applied Sciences of Al-Hoceima, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tetouan, MoroccoEngineering Sciences and Applications Laboratory, National School of Applied Sciences of Al-Hoceima, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tetouan, Morocco; Corresponding author. 18 rue Al Massira alkhadra, Bni bouayach, AL-HOCEIMA, Morocco.Engineering Sciences and Applications Laboratory, National School of Applied Sciences of Al-Hoceima, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tetouan, MoroccoEngineering Sciences and Applications Laboratory, National School of Applied Sciences of Al-Hoceima, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tetouan, MoroccoEngineering Sciences and Applications Laboratory, National School of Applied Sciences of Al-Hoceima, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tetouan, MoroccoEngineering and Innovation Research Team, Faculty of Science and Technology of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tetouan, MoroccoEngineering Sciences and Applications Laboratory, National School of Applied Sciences of Al-Hoceima, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tetouan, MoroccoThis study investigates microplastic pollution in Al Hoceima City's harbor, Northern Morocco, with a focus on their isolation, identification, and quantification. In December 2023, surface water and sediment samples were systematically collected using manta nets and core samplers. The samples underwent wet sieving, drying, and digestion using hydrogen peroxide with an iron catalyst to remove organic matter. Density separation with a saturated sodium chloride solution was employed to isolate microplastics, which were then analyzed using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy for polymer identification. The analysis revealed a dominance of polyethylene (70.2 %) and polypropylene (20.5 %) among the microplastics, primarily in fiber, fragment, and film forms, with sizes ranging from 0.10 to 6 mm. Predominant size categories were 0.2–0.5 mm, accounting for over 50 % of the total, and clear and blue were the most common colors. The average microplastic density was calculated at 9.40 ± 4.50 items/m³. This study highlights the widespread distribution of microplastics in the harbor, identifying their sources and impacts, while providing a robust methodology and findings to inform future marine pollution mitigation efforts in the Mediterranean region.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016424004870MicroplasticsSediment microplastic contaminationWaste management practices |
| spellingShingle | Iliass Achoukhi Yahya EL Hammoudani Khadija Haboubi Abdelhak Bourjila Abdelaziz Touzani Kamal Reklaoui Fouad Dimane Detecting and measuring Microplastic pollution in Al Hoceima City's harbor, northern Morocco Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering Microplastics Sediment microplastic contamination Waste management practices |
| title | Detecting and measuring Microplastic pollution in Al Hoceima City's harbor, northern Morocco |
| title_full | Detecting and measuring Microplastic pollution in Al Hoceima City's harbor, northern Morocco |
| title_fullStr | Detecting and measuring Microplastic pollution in Al Hoceima City's harbor, northern Morocco |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detecting and measuring Microplastic pollution in Al Hoceima City's harbor, northern Morocco |
| title_short | Detecting and measuring Microplastic pollution in Al Hoceima City's harbor, northern Morocco |
| title_sort | detecting and measuring microplastic pollution in al hoceima city s harbor northern morocco |
| topic | Microplastics Sediment microplastic contamination Waste management practices |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016424004870 |
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