Binary Solvent Extraction of Microplastics from Complex Environmental Matrix.

Abstract

Separating microplastics from particulate organic matter (POM) is challenging, particularly for polyethylene and polypropylene, which are buoyant like POM. It is often done using a time-consuming procedure, often with hazardous waste generation. We developed a method using a binary solvent mixture (ethanolwater) followed by water solvation to separate microplastics from estuarine POM and water. The isolated microplastics were quantified and characterized using μFT-IR and SEM, with particle sizes ranging from 30-2500 μm and percentage mass from 2.62-21.3% w / w in POM and 0.04-0.42% w / v for surface water respectively. Different polymer types, colors, and shapes were observed. Method recovery assessed using spiking yielded 89-93.1% and the method was validated by visual sorting with dye staining. This simple method aligns with Green Chemistry approaches by using ethanol, making it accessible to researchers throughout regions of the world where plastic debris is a major challenge but resources to study the problem are limited.