0
Article Tier 2 Detection Methods Marine & Wildlife Nanoplastics Sign in to save

Quantification of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and nanoplastics in sands, indoor dust and sludge using a simplified in-matrix depolymerization method

Marine Pollution Bulletin 2022 41 citations

AI summary Read the abstract

A simplified in-matrix depolymerization method coupled with liquid chromatography and UV detection was developed to quantify polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and nanoplastics in sand, indoor dust, and sludge. The three-step method provides a practical approach for mass-based PET plastic quantification across diverse environmental matrices.

Polymers
Study Type Environmental

An effective 3-step method for the quantification of mass of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and nanoplastics (PET MNPs) in complex environmental matrices was developed based on a simplified in-matrix depolymerization. Liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with ultraviolet (UV) detection was used for detection and quantification. Recoveries for PET-spiked sand samples were 99 ± 2% (1 mg/L) and 93 ± 7% (30 mg/L). The limit of quantification (LOQ) for PET was 0.4 μg/g for sand, 1 mg/g for indoor dust and 0.2 μg/g for wet sludge. This method was applied to seven beach sand samples, 20 indoor dust samples and one sewage sludge sample. PET MNPs levels in sand samples were all below the limit of detection (LOD) of LC-UV (0.1 μg/g). The concentrations of PET MNPs in indoor dust samples ranged from 1.2 to 305 mg/g and the PET MNPs in liquid sludge was 1.5 mg/L.

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

Quantification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) micro- and nanoparticle contaminants in marine sediments and other environmental matrices

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers developed and validated a method to quantify PET (polyethylene terephthalate) micro- and nanoparticles in marine sediments and other environmental matrices using chemical digestion and fluorescence detection. This polymer-specific quantification approach addresses a gap in methods for tracking one of the world's most widely used plastics in the environment.

Article Tier 2

Microplastic analysis using chemical extraction followed by LC-UV analysis: a straightforward approach to determine PET content in environmental samples

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers developed a straightforward method for microplastic analysis combining chemical extraction with LC-UV detection to determine PET content in environmental samples including sewage sludge and bio-waste applied to agricultural soils. The study demonstrated that this approach provides quantitative data on terrestrial microplastic contamination via a practical laboratory workflow.

Article Tier 2

Quantification of polyethylene terephthalate micro- and nanoplastics in domestic wastewater using a simple three-step method

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers developed a simple three-step method to quantify PET micro- and nanoplastics in wastewater, detecting PET particles in all influent samples from ten Dutch treatment plants at concentrations ranging from 25 to 680 micrograms per liter.

Article Tier 2

A Simple Method for Quantifying Polycarbonate and Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics in Environmental Samples by Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

AI summary Read the abstract

This study developed a simple chemical method using alkali-assisted thermal hydrolysis to depolymerize and quantify polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics in environmental samples. The approach provides a more accessible way to measure these specific plastic types, which are common in packaging and consumer goods.

Article Tier 2

Quantitative analysis of PET microplastics in environmental model samples using quantitative 1H-NMR spectroscopy: validation of an optimized and consistent sample clean-up method

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers proposed a new mass-based method for quantifying PET microplastics in environmental samples that enables comparisons across different sample matrices. Standardizing how microplastics are measured — particularly reporting mass rather than just particle counts — would improve the comparability of data from different studies.

Research digests by email

When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.

Email me about

Share this paper