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Ultrapure detergent (Extran®) improves microplastics analysis in surface water samples with planktonic fragments
Summary
Researchers evaluated the use of ultrapure Extran detergent as a treatment step to reduce visual interference from chitinous planktonic fragments in microplastics analysis of marine surface water samples collected via 300 µm plankton net off the coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Results demonstrated that the detergent treatment improved the clarity of microplastic identification by reducing misidentification of biological particles.
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging anthropogenic pollutants of significant environmental concern. Due to their small size and high mobility, investigating these particles is a laborious and delicate task. Studies prioritizing methodological standardization and quality control have sparked a growing interest in the scientific community regarding the development of methods that minimize potential errors in the analysis and identification of MPs. One of the main challenges in investigating MPs in environmental matrices is the presence of other organic particles, which often hinder the analyst's visualization or are misidentified as MPs. The aim of this work was to reduce visual interferences caused by fragments of planktonic organisms with chitinous exoskeletons in marine water samples. The samples were collected using a 300 µm mesh plankton net along the coast of the State of São Paulo (Brazil). In the laboratory, they underwent organic matter digestion with H2O2 (35 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/557627/document