at Google ScholarTitle data
Schrank, Isabella ; Möller, Julia N. ; Imhof, Hannes ; Hauenstein, Oliver ; Zielke, Franziska ; Agarwal, Seema ; Löder, Martin G. J. ; Greiner, Andreas ; Laforsch, Christian:
Microplastic sample purification methods : Assessing detrimental effects of purification procedures on specific plastic types.
In: Science of the Total Environment.
Vol. 833
(2022)
.
- 154824.
ISSN 0048-9697
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154824
Project information
| Project title: |
Project's official title Project's id SFB 1357 Mikroplastik 391977956 PLAWES – The Journey of Microplastics from the River Weser to the North Sea BMBF Project PLAWES, grant 03F0789A MiKoBo BWMK18007 BWMK18007 |
|---|---|
| Project financing: |
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Ministry for Environment, Climate Protection and Energy of Baden Württemberg |
Abstract in another language
In search of effective, fast, and cheap methods to purify environmental samples for microplastic analysis, scientific literature provides various purification protocols. However, while most of these protocols effectively purify the samples, some may also degrade the targeted polymers. This study was conducted to systematically compare the effects of purification protocols based on acidic, alkaline, oxidative, and enzymatic digestion and extraction via density separation on eight of the most relevant plastic types. It offers insights into how specific purification protocols may compromise microplastic detection by documenting visible and gravimetric effects, analyzing potential surface degradation using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and bulk erosion on a molecular level using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). For example, protocols using strong acids and high temperatures are likely to completely dissolve or cause strong degradation to a wide range of polymers (PA, PC, PET, PS, PUR & PVC), while strong alkaline solutions may damage PC and PET. Contrarily, Fenton's reagent, multiple enzymatic digestion steps, as well as treatment with a zinc chloride solution frequently used for density-separation, do not degrade the eight polymers tested here. Therefore, their implementation in microplastic sample processing may be considered an essential stepping-stone towards a standardized protocol for future microplastics analyses.