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Microplastics in soil: Current status and evaluation of the greenness of various analytical methods of identification
Summary
Researchers reviewed the current state of microplastic research in soils, finding some studies report up to 85,000 microplastic particles per kilogram of dry soil, while most existing lab methods for detecting them score poorly on environmental sustainability — calling for greener analytical approaches to match the scale of the problem.
Microplastics (MPs) have received increasing attention because of their ubiquitous and persisting nature and high degree of resistance to degradation, and bioaccumulation. There has been growing evidence of their direct and indirect impacts on the ecosystem's health. Although the extensive research has been carried out to assess the impact of MPs on aquatic environment, terrestrial environment is a significant research hotspot that needs to be focused more as it is highly polluted by anthropic plastic usage. The overarching aim of this study was to assess the current research trends on MPs analysis and the evaluation of the greenness of existing quantification methods, particularly in soil samples. In the last three years the trend in the quantification of MPs in soil media is found to be exponential and few studies have reported significant concentration of MPs of about 85,000 particles per kg dry weight of soil samples, raising an alarm to the policy makers to implement stringent policies. It has been observed that the existing quantification methodologies are not following the sustainable principles of green analytical chemistry due to their low score obtained from AGREE method. In this context, the electrostatic method of separation of MPs can be considered green, while the magnetic and Olive oil-based separation methods are classified as worse based on the greenness parameter. This paper attempts to provide some new information on the implementation of sustainable methods of MP quantification.
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