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Chemistry is the study of matter and the changes it undergoes. Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space. Matter is all around us; the air, water, soil, mountains, even our bodies are all examples of matter. Matter is divided into three states — solid, liquid, and gas — that are commonly found on earth. The fourth state of matter, plasma, occurs naturally in the interiors of stars. 
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Related Experiment Video

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Electrostatic Method to Remove Particulate Organic Matter from Soil
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Identifying a quick and efficient method of removing organic matter without damaging microplastic samples.

Joana C Prata1, João P da Costa1, Ana V Girão2

  • 1Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.

The Science of the Total Environment
|June 10, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Efficiently remove natural organic matter for accurate microplastic detection. Hydrogen peroxide with iron catalyst (H2O2 + Fe) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) show high digestion efficiency at 50°C for 1 hour.

Keywords:
DigestionMicroplasticsOrganic matter removalPlastic integritySample processing

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Polymer Science

Background:

  • Natural organic matter interferes with microplastic detection, necessitating its removal.
  • Existing organic matter digestion protocols are often lengthy and lack efficiency data.
  • Concerns exist regarding potential polymer degradation during digestion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the digestion efficiency of five solutions for various organic matter types.
  • To assess the impact of digestion protocols on common microplastic polymers.
  • To determine optimal digestion conditions (temperature, time) for microplastic sample preparation.

Main Methods:

  • Tested five digestion solutions: H2O2, H2O2 + Fe, KOH, HNO3, and SDS.
  • Evaluated digestion efficiency for algae, driftwood, feathers, fish muscle, paraffin, and palm oil.
  • Assessed polymer integrity using weight loss, FTIR, and carbonyl index after digestion.

Main Results:

  • H2O2 + Fe and KOH at 50°C for 1 hour yielded the highest digestion efficiencies (65.9% and 58.3%).
  • H2O2 + Fe is optimal for plant-based organic matter; KOH is better for animal tissues.
  • Most tested polymers (PE, PP, PS, PET, PVC, Nylon) were unaffected; only cellulose acetate identification was hindered.

Conclusions:

  • A rapid (1 hour) and effective digestion protocol using H2O2 + Fe or KOH at 50°C is proposed.
  • This protocol minimizes polymer degradation while efficiently removing organic matter.
  • Quartz and glass fiber filters are compatible with the recommended digestion methods.