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Quantitative Reliability of μ-FTIR-Based Microplastic Analysis: Effects of Filtration, Rinsing, and Software Calibration
Original title: Quantitative Reliability of μ-FTIR-Based Microplastic Analysis: Effects of Filtration, Rinsing, and Software Calibration
Summary
Scientists are still figuring out the best lab techniques for accurately counting tiny microplastic particles in water, since small differences in how samples are filtered, rinsed, and analyzed can throw off the results. This study tested different methods and found that using certain filters, rinsing with a diluted alcohol solution, and using a specific pump-based filtering technique significantly improved accuracy (catching 88-91% of known plastic particles). This matters because if researchers across different labs can't measure microplastics consistently, it's harder to know how much plastic is really in our water and food—which is the first step to understanding any health risks.
Methodological variability remains a major source of uncertainty in environmental microplastics (MPs) analysis, particularly for micro-Fourier transform infrared (μ-FTIR) spectroscopy operated in reflection mode. This study quantitatively evaluates how key analytical procedures influence recovery efficiency and identification performance in μ-FTIR-based MPs analysis. Polystyrene (PS) standard particles (90 μm and 30 μm; density 1.05 g/cm3) were employed in direct titration and standard addition experiments. The effects of filter materials, rinsing suspensions, filtration approaches, and identification protocols were systematically assessed. Under the tested reflection-mode μ-FTIR conditions, silicon and stainless-steel filters provided sufficient spectral readability and microscopic particle visibility for PS particle recognition and were therefore selected for subsequent recovery evaluation. Rinsing with 50% ethanol reduced aggregation and enhanced recovery. Pump-assisted filtration (200 mmHg) achieved high PS recovery (88 ± 7.25%), and standard addition in river samples reached 91 ± 14.5%. Manual calibration using reference standards further improved classification consistency. These findings quantitatively link procedural choices to recovery and identification outcomes, providing practical guidance to improve reliability and inter-study comparability in μ-FTIR-based MPs analysis.