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Development of a new methodology for the determination of PET microplastics in sediment, based on microwave-assisted acid digestion
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Researchers developed a simplified method for detecting PET microplastics in wet sediment that skips time-consuming drying and flotation steps, using microwave-assisted acid digestion at 60°C followed by Nile Red fluorescent staining and smartphone camera imaging to achieve 97% particle recovery. This low-cost, accessible approach could make routine sediment monitoring for microplastics more practical for labs in resource-limited settings.
Analytical methods for the determination of microplastics in sediments typically involve matrix drying, sieving, grinding, and flotation as part of the sample treatment. However, the real need for these steps and analytical validation studies are scarce. This work proposes a method that avoids the drying, sieving, and flotation procedures by using a direct acid attack of HNO₃/HCl (3:1) on wet sediment samples, assisted by microwave digestion. For detection, induced fluorescence using a UV camera, with Nile Red (NR) as the fluorophore and a cell phone camera for image capture were used. The results showed that when the digestion temperature was raised to 120°C, PET recovery decreased due to plastic particle fusion. However, at 60°C, microwave digestion resulted in a 97% recovery of PET particles, eliminating chitin interference and canceling cellulose fluorescence without the need for flotation. This method proved effective for monitoring plastic microparticles in sediments from the Loa River, Chile, revealing that the river is predominantly contaminated with PET microparticles, particularly upstream in the Taira area.
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Method for the determination of PET Microplastics in Sediment v1
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Researchers developed a method for determining PET microplastics in sediment using a direct acid digestion with HNO3/HCl (3:1) assisted by microwave digestion, eliminating the need for drying, sieving, or flotation pre-treatment steps. Detection relies on induced fluorescence with Nile Red dye imaged under UV light using a smartphone camera.
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Scientists developed a low-cost, smartphone-based method that can identify and count microplastics in environmental samples in under five minutes. The technique works by heating particles and using image analysis to detect which ones melt or change shape, distinguishing plastics from non-plastic particles. The method was successfully tested on soil and sand samples and could serve as a quick, accessible screening tool for microplastic contamination.
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