<![CDATA[High levels of microplastics in the marine water potentially contaminate salt produced traditionally. National salt consumption is very high, reaching 4.5 million tons per year, therefore, research is needed to determine the level of microplastics contamination in traditional salt. This study aims to examine the abundance and characteristics of microplastics in tratidional salt products from Pijot Village, Keruak District, one of the major salt producing-areas on Lombok Island. The study also aimed to identify the potential sources and distribution patterns microplastic contamination throughout the traditional salt production process. Raman spectroscopy utilized for microplastic polymer analysis, while microplastic concentration and characteristics were identified using a trinocular microscope. The results showed that abundance of microplastic in seawater increased throughout processing, with the highest concentration found in the evaporation table sample (269 particles/L). Salt samples were contaminated with microplastics, with mature salt highly contaminated with microplastics (5.752 particles/kg) compared to raw salt (3.420 particles/kg). Generally, microplastics predominantly take the form of fragments (22-35%), films (29-44%), and pallets (25-40%), while fibers and foam are found in small numbers (1-11%). Black, white, and yellow colors dominate microplastics with distributions of 15-45%, 12-31%, and 18-39%, respectively. Polymer identification results showed that polypropylene microplastics were found in all samples. The main sources of microplastics in the salt ponds of Pijot Village were seawater, domestic wastewater, and the use of plastic-based operational supporting equipment.]]>
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