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Development and Application of Sampling and Extraction Methods for Microplastics in Drinking Water
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Researchers developed and compared sampling and extraction methods for detecting microplastics specifically in treated drinking water, identifying inadequate sample volumes and lack of method recovery validation as common limitations in published studies. The validated in-line filtration method developed in this study improved accuracy and could serve as a template for standardized drinking water microplastic monitoring.
To-date, no standardized methods have been proposed for analyzing microplastics in drinking waters. This study assessed known methods to collect and extract microplastics from treated drinking waters and identified two common limitations: use of insufficient water, and lack of method recovery assessment. In response, this study developed an in-line filtration method, which improved accuracy when compared to in-laboratory filtration methods. In-line filtration was shown to have higher recoveries for the reference microplastics examined (+37% for PVC fragments, +23% for PET fragments, +22% for nylon fibers and +7% for PET fibers) and a greater potential to reduce microplastic contamination. The filtration capacity of in-line filtration method was observed to exceed 350 L of treated water. Application of in-line filtration was validated using ultrafiltration (UF) influent and effluent from two full-scale drinking water treatment facilities. UF represents an effective technology which is capable of removing ~95% of microplastics from drinking water.
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