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Sampling, Sorting, and Characterizing Microplastics in Aquatic Environments with High Suspended Sediment Loads and Large Floating Debris
Published on: July 28, 2018
16.4K
Development of a fast and efficient method to analyze microplastics in planktonic samples.
Adrián López-Rosales1, Jose M Andrade1, Gloria Grueiro-Noche1
1Group of Applied Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Chemistry (IUMA), University of A Coruña, Campus da Zapateira s/n, 15071 A Coruña, Spain.
Marine Pollution Bulletin
|April 25, 2021
Summary
Determining microplastics (MPs) in plankton is challenging. This study evaluated three methods, finding enzymatic and oxidative treatments effective for quantifying MPs without damaging common plastic types.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Marine Biology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Microplastics (MPs) pose a threat to marine ecosystems, impacting plankton at the base of the food web.
- Planktivorous fish can ingest MPs through contaminated food or trophic transfer, raising ecological concerns.
- Standardized methods for microplastic quantification in plankton are currently lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate and compare three distinct digestion treatments for microplastic extraction from plankton samples.
- To assess the efficacy and reliability of alkaline, enzymatic, and oxidative methods for microplastic analysis.
- To identify the most suitable method for accurate microplastic quantification in plankton.
Main Methods:
- Three digestion treatments were tested: alkaline (potassium hydroxide) with hydrogen peroxide, enzymatic (protease plus lipase) with hydrogen peroxide, and oxidative (sodium dodecyl sulfate plus hydrogen peroxide).
- Microplastics were identified using stereomicroscopy and characterized by semi-automatic reflectance infrared microscopy.
- Analytical recoveries of common polymers (polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate) were assessed for each method.
Main Results:
- The alkaline method using potassium hydroxide caused damage to polystyrene microplastics.
- Analytical recoveries for the tested polymers were consistently high across all methods, exceeding 75% for alkaline and 82-83% for enzymatic and oxidative treatments.
- The enzymatic method achieved successful validation in a European interlaboratory study.
Conclusions:
- Enzymatic and oxidative digestion methods are reliable alternatives for microplastic quantification in plankton.
- The oxidative method presents a fast, cost-effective, and reliable option for microplastic analysis in marine samples.
- Standardized and validated methods are crucial for accurate assessment of microplastic pollution in marine food webs.
