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Identifying a quick and efficient method of removing organic matter without damaging microplastic samples
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Researchers compared common organic-matter digestion protocols used before microplastic detection, finding significant variation in removal efficiency and polymer damage, and recommending optimized methods to avoid underestimating microplastic counts.
Natural organic matter may confound the detection of microplastics, requiring a removal step. However, most available protocols are long and lack information on removal efficiency and polymer degradation. Thus, we have determined the digestion efficiency (%) for a pool of organic matter (algae, driftwood, feathers, fish muscle, paraffin, palm oil) for five digestion solutions, hydrogen peroxide (HO), hydrogen peroxide with iron catalyst (HO + Fe), potassium hydroxide (KOH), nitric acid (HNO), and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), under two temperatures (room temperature at 25 °C, 50 °C) and two periods (1, 6 h). HO + Fe and KOH at 50 °C for 1 h had the highest digestion efficiencies, of 65.9% and 58.3% respectively (mostly limited by driftwood and paraffin). Further testing revealed that HO + Fe is more appropriate for plant material and KOH for animal tissue. Weight loss (%), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and carbonyl index of 9 virgin and 6 weathered polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, cellulose acetate, nylon) revealed that only identification of cellulose acetate was hindered. Filters were also tested revealing that quartz and glass fibre filters are resistant to these protocols. Thus, a digestion protocol based on HO + Fe or KOH at 50 °C for 1 h may be used on microplastic samples.
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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.