Efficient microplastics extraction from sand. A cost effective methodology based on sodium iodide recycling

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Microplastic pollution on shorelines presents a significant environmental challenge.
• Efficient extraction of dense microplastics from sand is technologically and economically demanding.
• Sodium iodide (NaI) solutions are effective for recovering dense microplastics but are costly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reduce the cost of microplastic extraction by recycling sodium iodide (NaI) solutions.
• To assess the impact of NaI solution storage on its properties and effectiveness.
• To evaluate the economic feasibility of NaI solution recycling for microplastic analysis.

Main Methods:

• Monitoring NaI solution density and salt mass over ten life cycles to assess recyclability.
• Measuring NaI solution density, pH, and salt mass over 40 days to evaluate storage effects.
• Analyzing the chemical stability and reversibility of reactions during NaI solution storage.

Main Results:

• NaI solutions are recyclable without significant density alterations.
• A total loss of 35.9% of NaI was observed after ten cycles of use.
• Chemical reactions during storage were found to be reversible, with minimal impact on solution properties.

Conclusions:

• Recycling NaI solutions offers a substantial cost reduction for microplastic extraction.
• NaI solutions can be effectively recycled and reused for microplastic recovery.
• The study discusses the representativeness of plastic extraction using dense solutions and highlights the economic benefits of recycling.