Microplastic identification and quantification from organic rich sediments: A validated laboratory protocol

Vermeiren, Peter; Muñoz, Cynthia C.; Ikejima, Kou

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114298

Cited by 105 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…1). This is in line with previous studies 20 which also showed that there was minimal difference between organic removal with both treatments in intertidal sediments, although this was also dependant on original organic content. We recommend here that H 2 O 2 is the preferred method as, although both reagents removed similar amounts of organic matter overall, H 2 O 2 removed more from soils with initially high organic content than did Fenton's reagent.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…While density separation techniques tend to target the inorganic fraction of a sample, organic matter, which has similar density to many types of plastic, 9 can obscure the detection of microplastics and interfere with identication. 20 To overcome this problem, digestion methods to remove the organic matter have been used. Established soil organic matter digestion techniques involve strong acids; 21 however they are not recommended for microplastic studies as they are damaging to some polymers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developing a systematic method for extraction of microplastics in soils

et al. 2021

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a systematic method for extraction of microplastics in soils

et al. 2021

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“…The detection of MP can be achieved with the use of fluorescent probes [ 18 , 19 ] able to interact and, therefore, stain the polymers. In most cases, Nile Red, able to bind to different polymers leading to colors from yellow to red depending on the plastic’s hydrophilicity, has been exploited as a fluorescent probe for the visual inspection and categorization of different MP [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Nile Red derivatives [ 25 , 26 ] have been presented as possible candidates able to improve the water solubility and selectivity of Nile Red [ 27 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Selective Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for No-Wash Detection of PVC Microplastic

et al. 2021

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Microplastics (MP) are micrometric plastic particles present in drinking water, food and the environment that constitute an emerging pollutant and pose a menace to human health. Novel methods for the fast detection of these new contaminants are needed. Fluorescence-based detection exploits the use of specific probes to label the MP particles. This method can be environmentally friendly, low-cost, easily scalable but also very sensitive and specific. Here, we present the synthesis and application of a new probe based on perylene-diimide (PDI), which can be prepared in a few minutes by a one-pot reaction using a conventional microwave oven and can be used for the direct detection of MP in water without any further treatment of the sample. The green fluorescence is strongly quenched in water at neutral pH because of the formation dimers. The ability of the probe to label MP was tested for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The probe showed considerable selectivity to PVC MP, which presented an intense red emission after staining. Interestingly, the fluorescence of the MP after labeling could be detected, under excitation with a blue diode, with a conventional CMOS color camera. Good selectivity was achieved analyzing the red to green fluorescence intensity ratio. UV–Vis absorption, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence anisotropy, fluorescence wide-field and confocal laser scanning microscopy allowed elucidating the mechanism of the staining in detail.

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“…Fenton's reagent had the least effect on microplastics with the highest efficiency in removing organic matter; therefore, it was noted as the best method. Later, Tagg et al (2017) and Vermeiren et al (2020) confirmed high efficiency of Fenton's reagent and no significant influence on the surface of microplastics.…”

Section: Methodology For Microplastics Analysis In Organic Outputmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…These procedures are often repeated three times to achieve high efficiencies (Crawford and Quinn, 2017). Many studies followed a similar protocol, although sample mixing time varied from several minutes (Mu et al, 2018) to several hours (Bayo et al, 2016; Imhof et al, 2016), and the settling time varied from several minutes (Coppock et al, 2017; Vermeiren et al, 2020) to overnight (Tiwari et al, 2019; Zhang et al, 2016).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The organic output from mechanical–biological treatment plants as a source of microplastics: Mini-review on current knowledge, research methodology and future study perspectives

2021

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Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental problems facing the world. In recent years, microplastics, polymer particles from 1 µm to 5 mm, have been getting much attention. The presence of microplastics has already been confirmed in aquatic and marine ecosystems, soil, atmosphere, biota, and others. The organic output from mechanical–biological treatment (MBT) plants was added to the list of microplastics sources only recently. However, according to preliminary estimates, it may be the second-largest source of microplastics. This article presents an overview of already published investigations on this microplastics source and explains the supposed pathway of microplastics in the MBT plants. The main waste treatment processes that can affect the amount of microplastics in the organic output have been identified as shredding, sieving and, to a lesser extent, aerobic or anaerobic processing. This mini-review also includes methods used in the scientific literature for microplastics extraction, purification, and identification in organic-rich samples, their advantages and limitations. Particular attention is paid to the methods of identifying the small microplastics, less than 1 mm, since the methods for particles 1−5 mm have been more extensively studied. Furthermore, future research needs are highlighted.

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Microplastic identification and quantification from organic rich sediments: A validated laboratory protocol

Cited by 105 publications

References 33 publications

Developing a systematic method for extraction of microplastics in soils

Developing a systematic method for extraction of microplastics in soils

A Selective Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for No-Wash Detection of PVC Microplastic

The organic output from mechanical–biological treatment plants as a source of microplastics: Mini-review on current knowledge, research methodology and future study perspectives

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