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A novel thermoanalytical method for quantifying microplastics in marine sediments
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This study developed a new thermoanalytical method to accurately quantify microplastics in marine sediment samples, particularly fine-grained particles smaller than 1 mm that are difficult to count with existing methods. More precise quantification tools are needed to understand the true scale of microplastic accumulation in marine environments.
Microplastic pollution in marine environments is of particular concern on its risk to the ecosystem. To assess and manage microplastic contaminants, their quantitative detection in environmental samples is a high priority. However, uncertainties of current methods still exist when estimating their abundances, particularly with fine-grained (<1 mm) microplastics. This work reports a novel thermoanalytical method for quantifying microplastics by measuring the contents of microplastic-derived carbon (MPC) in samples under the premise of nearly eliminating the limit of their particle appearances. After validating the method via samples with the spiked microplastics, we have conducted a case study on sediment core H43 that spanned 1925-2009 CE from the Yellow Sea for further illustrating the high reliability and practicability of this method for quantifying microplastics in natural samples. Our results have demonstrated that the proposed method may be a promising technique to determine the mass-related concentrations of the total microplastics in marine sediments for evaluating their pollution status and quantitative contribution to marine carbon storage.
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Researchers developed a thermoanalytical method using pyrolysis combined with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to detect and identify microplastics in environmental samples, providing an alternative to labor-intensive visual and spectroscopic methods. The approach enables quantitative polymer analysis and helps address the challenge of monitoring the millions of tons of plastics entering the environment annually.
Detection of microplastics using thermoanalytical methods
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This conference presentation summarized how thermoanalytical methods such as pyrolysis-GC/MS and TGA can be used to detect and quantify microplastics in environmental samples. Thermoanalytical approaches offer advantages over visual methods by providing polymer-specific quantitative data on mass concentrations of microplastics.
Thermoanalytical methods for the optimisation of microplastic detection in freshwater sediment samples
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This study investigated thermoanalytical methods such as pyrolysis and TGA for optimizing the detection and characterization of microplastics in environmental samples. Thermoanalytical techniques offer a promising complement to visual and spectroscopic methods for quantifying microplastic pollution.
Analysis of microplastic in environmental samples using thermal analytical methods
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This conference presentation summarized thermal analytical methods available for detecting and quantifying microplastics in environmental samples, covering polymer types, phases, morphology, density, and analysis options. Thermal methods offer mass-based quantification of microplastics that complements optical and spectroscopic techniques.
Methods for the detection of microplastics in environmental samples.
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This study assessed how tire wear particles contribute to microplastic loading in urban stormwater runoff, finding that road runoff from high-traffic areas contained high concentrations of rubber-derived particles. The results identify tire abrasion as a significant but understudied source of microplastic contamination in urban freshwater systems.
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.