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Extraction of microplastic from biota: recommended acidic digestion destroys common plastic polymers
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This study tested standard acidic tissue digestion protocols used to extract microplastics from marine organisms and found that the recommended nitric acid treatment destroyed certain common plastic types beyond recognition. The findings warn that protocols designed to remove biological tissue can inadvertently degrade the very microplastics researchers are trying to detect.
The chemical digestion of tissue from marine biota for microplastic analysis is currently conducted following a variety of protocols published in scientific literature. Often there is a lack of information on whether and to which degree the applied chemicals are destructive to microplastic particles of various polymer types. In the present study we report that a digestion protocol recently recommended by ICES using nitric and perchloric acid has strong detrimental effects on several common plastic polymers, in particular polyamide and polyurethane and to a lesser degree acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polymethyl methacrylate and polyvinylchloride. Raman spectroscopic measurements revealed changes in peak occurrence and intensity for several polymers that did not otherwise show visual macroscopic changes. We developed and tested an alkaline digestion protocol in order to preserve small microplastic particles while removing organic tissue material. We recommend this method for the development of guidelines for plastic microplastic monitoring in biota.
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Quantitative and qualitative impacts of nitric acid digestion on microplastic identification via FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, implications for environmental samples
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Nitric acid is commonly used to digest biological tissue when extracting microplastics for analysis, but this study found it severely degrades or destroys several common plastics — including nylon and polyurethane — leading to underestimated counts and misidentified polymer types. These findings are a methodological warning: results from studies using nitric acid digestion may significantly underreport actual microplastic ingestion by marine organisms.
Evaluating the Effect of Chemical Digestion Treatments on Polystyrene Microplastics: Recommended Updates to Chemical Digestion Protocols
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Researchers evaluated how common chemical reagents used to extract microplastics from biological samples affect polystyrene particles. They found that nitric acid was the most destructive to the plastics, while alkaline and oxidative reagents caused negligible changes. The study recommends updating standard laboratory protocols to avoid accidentally damaging microplastics during extraction, which could lead to inaccurate pollution measurements.
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Multiple organic matter digestion protocols used in microplastic sample preparation were systematically evaluated for their effectiveness in removing biogenic material while preserving plastic particles. The review helps standardize sample processing by identifying which digestion chemicals and conditions work best for different environmental matrices.
Isolation of microplastics in biota-rich seawater samples and marine organisms
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Researchers developed and tested methods for extracting microplastics from seawater samples rich in biological material and from the tissues of marine organisms. They found that enzymatic digestion was the most effective and least destructive approach for isolating microplastics from biological samples, outperforming acid and alkaline treatments. The study provides improved laboratory protocols that will help scientists more accurately measure microplastic contamination in marine environments and wildlife.
Microplastic sample purification methods - Assessing detrimental effects of purification procedures on specific plastic types
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Researchers assessed how common microplastic purification methods affect different polymer types, finding that acidic and alkaline digestion can degrade certain plastics like polycarbonate and polyamide, potentially leading to underestimation in environmental samples.
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.