Microplastic Detection and Analysis from Water and Sediment: A Review

Abstract The presence and distribution of microplastics (MPs, <5 mm) has been reported worldwide in the aquatic ecosystem and is identified as emerging pollutant that can adversely affect the health of aquatic environment. The production and consumption of plastics has increased tremendously worldwide because of their properties including pliability, low cost, versatility, durability, and lightweight. Currently, the global production of plastics exceeds 320 million tonnes (Mt) per year, with single‐use plastic accounting for more than 40% of this total. Because plastic is non‐biodegradable, the majority of its annual production accumulates and finally enters the aquatic systems. Aquatic biota may suffer physical damages, fatigue, reduced appetite, blockage of metabolic channels, and altered feeding behavior due to consumption of MPs. Occurrence of MPs in air and food samples has been documented across the world. Thus, the MPs may also pose a great risk to the health of human beings, because of the human exposure to MPs and their concerned harmful contaminants through food chain or ingestion through the air. Due to the vast abundance and deleterious effects of MPs, more studies are focusing on MPs to estimate their dispersion, fate, quantity, and transport in the global aquatic systems. Through this work we have reviewed various analytical techniques of MPs including the collection of samples from surface water and sediments, identification, and quantification. One of the most prevalent techniques for recognizing MPs is visual categorization, which can be improved by combining it with other techniques viz. spectrometry and thermal methods. This review provides an insight about the following objectives: (1) the global occurrence and distribution of MPs, (2) the extensive analysis of effects of MPs on aquatic biota, and (3) the assessment of the current methods for MP sampling and analysis.