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Identification and quantification of microplastics using Nile Red staining.

Won Joon Shim¹, Young Kyoung Song¹, Sang Hee Hong¹

¹Oil and POPs Research Laboratory, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, 41 Jangmok-1-gil, Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea; Department of Marine Environmental Sciences, Korea University of Science and Technology, Gajeong-ro, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.

Marine Pollution Bulletin

|March 26, 2017

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Nile Red (NR) is a fluorescent dye effective for microplastic analysis, identifying polymers like polyethylene with 98% recovery. This quick method aids in quantifying plastic particles in lab samples.

Area of Science:

Environmental Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry

Background:

Microplastic pollution is a growing environmental concern.
Accurate identification and quantification of microplastics are crucial for environmental monitoring and risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the effectiveness of Nile Red (NR) as a fluorescent dye for microplastic analysis.
To determine optimal staining conditions for NR and assess its applicability to various polymer types.

Main Methods:

Investigated the use of Nile Red (NR) staining for microplastic identification.
Determined optimal staining conditions using a 5 mg/L NR solution in n-hexane.
Tested NR applicability on various microplastic types (polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyurethane, poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate)) and compared results with FT-IR identification.

Keywords:

Nile Red identification microplastics staining

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Main Results:

Nile Red effectively stained most tested plastics, producing a distinct green fluorescence.
The method showed high accuracy for polyethylene microplastics (100-300μm) with a 98% recovery rate, comparable to FT-IR.
NR staining successfully differentiated polypropylene particles from sand in laboratory samples.

Conclusions:

Nile Red is a straightforward, rapid, and effective tool for identifying and quantifying specific microplastic polymers in laboratory settings.
The NR staining method shows promise for microplastic analysis, particularly in discriminating polymer fragments from environmental matrices like sand.
Further research is needed to adapt the NR staining technique for analyzing field samples containing organic matter.