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Extraction of Microplastics from Soil and Bio-composts
Summary
This thesis developed a method for extracting microplastics from soil and bio-compost using olive oil as a cost-effective and non-toxic flotation medium. Researchers tested the method on commercial soil and compost samples and found it effectively separated microplastics without hazardous chemicals. The study provides a safer and more accessible alternative to conventional chemical-based microplastic extraction methods.
This thesis is about the extraction of microplastics using olive oil, which is one of the most cost effective, efficient, and harmless methods of extraction since no harmful chemicals were used in the process. Microplastics is scientific topic trending around the world, this thesis tries to spread awareness about how it can enter and cause harm to the ecosystem. For the experiments, soil used commercially as a base for a plant and a final stage bio-compost from HSY Ämmässuö were used as samples. The samples were tested by combinations of solvent extraction and density separation techniques in two different apparatus: a polytetra-fluoroethylene tube and a sediment microplastic isolation unit with vacuum filtration process to extract microplastics from the samples. As a result, almost all the plastic pieces mixed with the samples were recovered in the filter paper after filtration.