Evidence of underestimation in microplastic research: A meta-analysis of recovery rate studies

Improved microplastic processing from complex biological samples using a customized vacuum filtration apparatus

“…Following vacuum filtration, total recovery rates of all MPs spiked into Milli‐Q water (93.3–100%) and into 10% KOH (86.7–100%) solutions were high and well above the recommended 70% threshold (Cashman et al 2020), confirming the filtration apparatus was performing as desired. These recovery results compare well with or better than standard vacuum filtration units commonly employed in bench‐scale studies (Way et al 2022). Furthermore, it compared well with large scale tiered systems used to monitor wastewater treatment plants with active pumping (pressurized water) (Funck et al 2020: 85–88%; Bannick et al 2019: 80–110%).…”

Assessing the effectiveness of microplastic extraction methods on fishmeal with different properties

“…For example, Hanvey et al (2017) 60 compared studies looking into microplastics in sediments, and almost half (19/43) used NaCl as a saline solution. Similarly, a meta-analysis looking into recovery rate studies by Way et al (2022) 61 found that 16 out of the 71 studies included used NaCl, which was the most frequently used reagent in the analysis. Using NaCl as a density separation is also recommended by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).…”

Seasonal variation in microplastics and zooplankton abundances and characteristics: The ecological vulnerability of an oceanic island system

“…Such protocol improves the chances of not including false positives in microplastic identification, especially microfibers. Furthermore, digestion protocols that make use of oxidising agents (as H 2 O 2 ) usually yield high recovery rates (85-90 %) for the plastic particles in the samples (as reviewed in Way et al, 2022).…”