Quantification of microplastics in a freshwater suspended organic matter using different thermoanalytical methods – outcome of an interlaboratory comparison

Becker, Roland; Altmann, Korinna; Sommerfeld, Thomas; Braun, Ulrike

doi:10.1016/j.jaap.2020.104829

Cited by 75 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…With recent method refinements [33,122] and novel hyphenations of thermoanalytical sample introduction with FTIR or time-of-flight (TOF) detectors [151], instrumental analytics have become sufficiently sensitive for the quantification of microplastics in the low mg kg −1 to µg kg −1 range. A recent interlaboratory comparison of thermoanalytical methods further showed that thermoanalytical setups involving chromatographical separation were able to reliably identify and quantify PE, PP, PS, and PET in an organic sediment [152]. TGA/MS proved itself particularly useful for the assessment of total polymer contents.…”

Section: Thermoanalysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Sample Preparation Techniques for the Analysis of Microplastics in Soil—A Review

et al. 2020

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Although most plastic pollution originates on land, current research largely remains focused on aquatic ecosystems. Studies pioneering terrestrial microplastic research have adapted analytical methods from aquatic research without acknowledging the complex nature of soil. Meanwhile, novel methods have been developed and further refined. However, methodical inconsistencies still challenge a comprehensive understanding of microplastic occurrence and fate in and on soil. This review aims to disentangle the variety of state-of-the-art sample preparation techniques for heterogeneous solid matrices to identify and discuss best-practice methods for soil-focused microplastic analyses. We show that soil sampling, homogenization, and aggregate dispersion are often neglected or incompletely documented. Microplastic preconcentration is typically performed by separating inorganic soil constituents with high-density salt solutions. Not yet standardized but currently most used separation setups involve overflowing beakers to retrieve supernatant plastics, although closed-design separation funnels probably reduce the risk of contamination. Fenton reagent may be particularly useful to digest soil organic matter if suspected to interfere with subsequent microplastic quantification. A promising new approach is extraction of target polymers with organic solvents. However, insufficiently characterized soils still impede an informed decision on optimal sample preparation. Further research and method development thus requires thorough validation and quality control with well-characterized matrices to enable robust routine analyses for terrestrial microplastics.

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Section: Thermoanalysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Sample Preparation Techniques for the Analysis of Microplastics in Soil—A Review

et al. 2020

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“…The advantage of Py-GC-MS over conventional spectroscopic methods is that it is possible to analyze polymer types and organic plastic additives in a single analysis. Researchers compared Py-GC-MS, TED-GC-MS, and TGA-FTIR, and found these methods can correctly identify all polymers and report reasonable quantitative results within the study concentration range (Becker et al, 2020). Mass spectrometry analysis requires that polymer samples are purified and concentrated, vaporized, and then entered into mass spectrometry analysis, as vaporization steps, such as laser ablation, may change or destroy the properties of plastic samples.…”

Section: Chemical Composition Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in Mollusks: Research Progress, Current Contamination Status, Analysis Approaches, and Future Perspectives

et al. 2021

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Plastic fragments < 5 mm, known as microplastics (MPs), are ubiquitously present in the marine environment. Research on MPs pollution has gradually shifted from field investigations to laboratory studies. With the rapid growth of plastic consumption and the prevalence of aquaculture products, studies on marine MPs have focused on key marine species, such as mollusks. This review summarizes the recent knowledge including 77 important relevant literatures (from 2010 to 2021) on MPs contamination in mollusks with the objectives of (1) elucidating the current status of MPs pollution levels in mollusks, (2) highlighting the main methods and techniques for separation, extraction, and identification of MPs in soft tissues of bivalves and (3) presenting the current research progress and future directions. The review visually presents some of the important results in graphic form, which shows that the most common polymer plastics in bivalves are polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene, and the shapes were mainly fiber and threadiness, mollusks are more likely to feed smaller MPs, most of the MPs in bivalves are less than 500 μm, and the abundance of MPs in seawater and the abundance of MPs in mollusks have a positive relationship, etc. This review will provide a comprehensive reference for studies of microplastics in marine organisms and the ecological pollution, and also has scientific guiding significance in the research method.

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“…Matsui et al (2020) have presented an algorithm for identifying the composition of heterogeneous mixtures of polymers, successfully identifying four polymer types from an ocean water sample [41]. In terms of what MP characteristics this technique measures, it has been mostly explored for plastic type identification, but has shown potential for relative mass quantification of polymer types in heterogeneous MP samples [40,[42][43][44]84].…”

Section: Technology Demonstrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Demonstrated accuracy for MP polymer type identification (ID)[39][40][41][42][43][44]. Can characterize the identity of sample contaminants.…”

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confidence: 99%

Field-Portable Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Environments: A Perspective on Emerging Techniques

Blevins

Allen

Colson

et al. 2021

Sensors

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Microplastics (MPs) have been found in aqueous environments ranging from rural ponds and lakes to the deep ocean. Despite the ubiquity of MPs, our ability to characterize MPs in the environment is limited by the lack of technologies for rapidly and accurately identifying and quantifying MPs. Although standards exist for MP sample collection and preparation, methods of MP analysis vary considerably and produce data with a broad range of data content and quality. The need for extensive analysis-specific sample preparation in current technology approaches has hindered the emergence of a single technique which can operate on aqueous samples in the field, rather than on dried laboratory preparations. In this perspective, we consider MP measurement technologies with a focus on both their eventual field-deployability and their respective data products (e.g., MP particle count, size, and/or polymer type). We present preliminary demonstrations of several prospective MP measurement techniques, with an eye towards developing a solution or solutions that can transition from the laboratory to the field. Specifically, experimental results are presented from multiple prototype systems that measure various physical properties of MPs: pyrolysis-differential mobility spectroscopy, short-wave infrared imaging, aqueous Nile Red labeling and counting, acoustophoresis, ultrasound, impedance spectroscopy, and dielectrophoresis.

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Quantification of microplastics in a freshwater suspended organic matter using different thermoanalytical methods – outcome of an interlaboratory comparison

Cited by 75 publications

References 20 publications

Sample Preparation Techniques for the Analysis of Microplastics in Soil—A Review

Sample Preparation Techniques for the Analysis of Microplastics in Soil—A Review

Microplastics in Mollusks: Research Progress, Current Contamination Status, Analysis Approaches, and Future Perspectives

Field-Portable Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Environments: A Perspective on Emerging Techniques

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