Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A widespread family of ribosomal peptide metallophores involved in bacterial adaptation to metal stress.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024
Same author

From source to sink: part 2-seasonal dispersion of microplastics discharged in the NW Mediterranean Sea by the Rhone River in southern France.

Environmental science and pollution research international·2024
Same author

The CpxAR signaling system confers a fitness advantage for flea gut colonization by the plague bacillus.

Journal of bacteriology·2024
Same author

From source to sink: part 1-characterization and Lagrangian tracking of riverine microplastics in the Mediterranean Basin.

Environmental science and pollution research international·2024
Same author

Direct photodegradation of internally mixed sodium chloride and malonic acid single aerosols: Impact of the photoproducts on the hygroscopic properties of the particles.

Chemosphere·2023
Same author

EUSEDcollab: a network of data from European catchments to monitor net soil erosion by water.

Scientific data·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 28, 2025

Sampling, Sorting, and Characterizing Microplastics in Aquatic Environments with High Suspended Sediment Loads and Large Floating Debris
05:31

Sampling, Sorting, and Characterizing Microplastics in Aquatic Environments with High Suspended Sediment Loads and Large Floating Debris

Published on: July 28, 2018

16.3K

Extraction of microplastics from sediment matrices: Experimental comparative analysis.

Mel Constant1, Gabriel Billon2, Noémie Breton2

  • 1Univ. Lille, Institut Mines-Télécom, Univ. Artois, Junia, ULR 4515 - LGCgE, Laboratoire de Génie Civil et géo-Environnement, F-59000 Lille, France.

Journal of Hazardous Materials
|July 15, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Extracting microplastics from sediments is challenging. Sodium iodide (NaI) shows promise for dense polymers, but a universal method for all microplastic types and sediments is still needed.

Keywords:
Comparative analysisExtraction methodsMicroplasticsSedimentsSoil

More Related Videos

Separation and Identification of Conventional Microplastics from Farmland Soils
14:10

Separation and Identification of Conventional Microplastics from Farmland Soils

Published on: March 21, 2025

2.3K
Extraction of Organochlorine Pesticides from Plastic Pellets and Plastic Type Analysis
10:12

Extraction of Organochlorine Pesticides from Plastic Pellets and Plastic Type Analysis

Published on: July 1, 2017

11.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 28, 2025

Sampling, Sorting, and Characterizing Microplastics in Aquatic Environments with High Suspended Sediment Loads and Large Floating Debris
05:31

Sampling, Sorting, and Characterizing Microplastics in Aquatic Environments with High Suspended Sediment Loads and Large Floating Debris

Published on: July 28, 2018

16.3K
Separation and Identification of Conventional Microplastics from Farmland Soils
14:10

Separation and Identification of Conventional Microplastics from Farmland Soils

Published on: March 21, 2025

2.3K
Extraction of Organochlorine Pesticides from Plastic Pellets and Plastic Type Analysis
10:12

Extraction of Organochlorine Pesticides from Plastic Pellets and Plastic Type Analysis

Published on: July 1, 2017

11.8K

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Polymer Science

Background:

  • Microplastics (<5 mm) are widespread pollutants in marine and terrestrial environments.
  • Separating microplastics from sediment and soil matrices presents significant analytical challenges.
  • Standardized methods for microplastic extraction are lacking, hindering comparability of research findings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficiency of various extracting solutions (ESs) and isolation methods (IMs) for microplastic separation from sediments.
  • To identify optimal protocols for different polymer types (low and high density) and sediment characteristics.
  • To address the need for improved and comparable microplastic monitoring techniques.

Main Methods:

  • Tested 18 combinations of six extracting solutions (oil, water, oil-in-water, NaCl, oil-in-NaCl, NaI) and three isolation methods (hand stirring, centrifugation, aeration).
  • Evaluated extraction efficiencies for fine and coarse sediments with low (PE, PE-ABS) and high density polymers (PET, PES, PA).
  • Assessed extraction rates for different microplastic shapes (pellets, fragments, fibers).

Main Results:

  • Isolation methods did not significantly impact extraction efficiency.
  • Most ESs achieved good extraction (84 ± 17%) for light polymers, except oil.
  • Sodium iodide (NaI) demonstrated the highest efficiency (71 ± 17%) for dense polymers.
  • Fiber extraction efficiency was lower than pellets and fragments across tested ESs.
  • Overall extraction efficiencies were lower than literature values, with issues in collecting floating plastics.

Conclusions:

  • No single robust protocol exists for extracting all microplastic types and forms from fine sediments.
  • NaI is effective for dense polymers, while other solutions work for lighter ones.
  • Further research is needed to account for particle interactions and electrostatic properties for improved microplastic extraction methods.