Identifying and Characterizing Microplastics

Microplastics (MPs) as a novel pollution problem have received increasing attention from scholars and policymakers. Identification and quantification of microplastics are of important significance for practically unraveling the characteristics of MPs pollution in the environments. Therefore, the objective of this chapter is to summarize and discuss the methods for analyzing MPs, including methods for extraction, identification, and quantification. From the literature, the authors identified density separation as an extraction method and Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy for identification but found that other methods have not yet been fully demonstrated using practical applications. In this regard, the authors recommend standardized procedures for extracting, identifying, and quantifying MPs in different environments (soil, surface water, marine, and other media) to provide insights into understanding and eliminating microplastic pollution.