[Method for Simultaneous Quantifying Five Types of Microplastics by Tubular Furnace Pyrolysis-thermal Desorption-gas...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Polymer Science

Context:

• Microplastic pollution is a pervasive environmental issue, necessitating accurate quantification methods.
• Existing methods often face challenges with complex environmental matrices and matrix interference.
• Simultaneous analysis of multiple microplastic types is crucial for comprehensive environmental assessment.

Purpose:

• To establish a susceptible method for the simultaneous quantification of five major microplastics: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
• To develop a technique applicable across diverse environmental matrices including water, soil, sediment, and biological tissues.
• To improve the reliability, repeatability, and reduce matrix interference in microplastic analysis.

Summary:

• A novel method utilizes pyrolysis coupled with thermal desorption and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for microplastic quantification (>0.22 μm).
• The method achieves low instrument and method detection limits (e.g., 0.07-2.87 μg·L⁻¹ in water) with good recoveries (74.21%-119.63%) and relative standard deviations (3.31%-22.37%).
• The technique demonstrated successful application in analyzing real environmental samples, revealing microplastic concentrations in water (4.48-37.34 μg·L⁻¹), soil/sediments (10.55-218.98 μg·g⁻¹), and biological samples (8.82-19.81 μg·g⁻¹).

Impact:

• Provides a robust and reliable analytical tool for the accurate assessment of widespread microplastic pollution.
• Facilitates future environmental monitoring programs and research on the ecological impact of microplastics.
• Offers a simplified sample pretreatment process, enhancing the practicality of microplastic analysis in environmental studies.