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A Flow-through Passive Sampler for Microplastics in Air
Huike Dong1,2, Xiaoping Wang1,2,3, Li Xu4,5
1State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing100101, China.
Abstract:
Microplastics (MP) in air have attracted increasing attention because of their ubiquitous presence. Accurate atmospheric concentrations of MP are essential for evaluating their capacity for long-range transport and for assessing human inhalation risk. In order to sample airborne MP in locations with limited power supply, we adapted a flow-through passive sampler by placing a glass fiber filter in the inner sampling tube. To test the new sampler's performance under field conditions, two sizes of the flow-through sampler (with diameters of 20 and 10 cm) and a conventionally pumped high-volume air sampler were co-deployed on the Lhasa campus of the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research. Accurate sampling volumes could be estimated from a relationship between wind speeds recorded outside and inside of the flow-through sampler. Atmospheric concentrations and compositions of MP that compared favorably with those obtained by active sampling indicate that the larger version of the flow-through passive sampler can provide reproducible and quantitative information on atmospheric MP at sites with limited or unreliable power supply. This capability should be useful in large-scale and high-temporal resolution air monitoring networks for MP.
Insights
A new passive air sampler effectively measures airborne microplastics (MP) without needing much power. This innovation allows for accurate MP concentration data, crucial for understanding transport and health risks in remote areas.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Atmospheric Chemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Airborne microplastics (MP) are increasingly recognized as ubiquitous environmental contaminants.
- Accurate atmospheric MP concentrations are vital for assessing long-range transport potential and human inhalation risks.
- Existing active sampling methods often require significant power, limiting their use in remote locations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To adapt and validate a flow-through passive sampler for collecting airborne MP in environments with limited power.
- To assess the sampler's ability to provide accurate and reproducible atmospheric MP concentration and composition data.
- To enable large-scale, high-temporal resolution air monitoring for microplastics.
Main Methods:
- A flow-through passive sampler was modified with an integrated glass fiber filter.
- Two sizes of the passive sampler (20 cm and 10 cm diameter) were field-tested.
- Co-deployment with a conventional high-volume air sampler was performed for comparative analysis.
- Sampling volume estimation was achieved by correlating external and internal wind speed measurements.
Main Results:
- The adapted passive sampler provided atmospheric MP concentrations and compositions comparable to active sampling methods.
- Accurate sampling volumes were successfully estimated using wind speed correlations.
- The larger passive sampler (20 cm) demonstrated reproducibility and quantitative accuracy.
- The passive sampler is suitable for sites with limited or unreliable power supply.
Conclusions:
- The developed flow-through passive sampler offers a viable solution for monitoring airborne microplastics in power-limited settings.
- This technology facilitates more extensive and temporally resolved atmospheric MP monitoring networks.
- The findings contribute to a better understanding of microplastic distribution and associated risks.
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