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Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

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ARTICLE IN » Volume 20, 2025 - Number 1

MICROPLASTICS IN A LOTIC FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENT: TYPOLOGY AND PROFILE OF OCCURRENCE ALONG JOUMINE STREAM, AFFLUENT OF THE ICHKEUL WETLAND (NORTHERN TUNISIA)



Rafika RAHMANI1, Samir GHANNEM1, Yasmina ZAHOUANI2, Abdelhafidh KHAZRI1, Sabri KANZARI3, Essaid BILAL4* & Samir TOUAYLIA1
1Laboratory of environment biomonitoring, Life Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences Bizerta, University of Carthage, Zarzouna, Tunisia.
2Laboratory of Integrated Physiology, Life Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences Bizerta, University of Carthage, Zarzouna, Tunisia.
3National Institute of Research of Rural Engineering, Waters and Forests of Tunis, University of Carthage, Ariana, Tunisia
4*Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne, CNRS-UMR5600, Saint-Étienne, France, bilalessaid@gmail.com


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Abstract

DOI: 10.26471/cjees/2025/020/316

The intensifying plastic production and poor management of its waste have led to a tremendous rise in the dumping into aquatic ecosystems, thus resulting in harmful effects on living organisms as well as biodiversity loss and wetland threat. The study aims to assess the availability of microplastics in a freshwater environment (the Joumine stream, Northern Tunisia) by determining their abundance, shape, type, color, and size in both water and sediment. Thirty samples were collected from five sites and analyzed for MPs using stereomicroscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. The average value of microplastics was found to be 8.87±3.94/L (in water) and 18.2±8.27/50g dry weight (in sediment). The most dominant form in all samples was fibers, while the color category varied according to the two considered matrices and sites. Microplastic particles in the samples ranged from 0.24 to 1.45 mm in length. Polypropylene and polyethylene were the identified types of polymers. Overall, the level of microplastic pollution along the Joumine stream was found to be relatively average compared to the global pollution level. It underlined the fact that MPs are widespread even in freshwater environments and provides a baseline for future surveys and management sustainable decisions.

Keywords:
  • Freshwater
  • environment
  • microplastics
  • FTIR
  • spectroscopy
  • molysmology

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© 2025 by the author(s). Licensee CJEES, Carpathian Association of Environment and Earth Sciences. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

How to cite

Rafika RAHMANI, Samir GHANNEM, Yasmina ZAHOUANI, Abdelhafidh KHAZRI, Sabri KANZARI, Essaid BILAL & Samir TOUAYLIA (2025). MICROPLASTICS IN A LOTIC FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENT: TYPOLOGY AND PROFILE OF OCCURRENCE ALONG JOUMINE STREAM, AFFLUENT OF THE ICHKEUL WETLAND (NORTHERN TUNISIA), Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, February 2025 Vol. 20, No. 1, p. 85 – 95; https://doi.org/10.26471/cjees/2025/020/316

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