Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Quantification Challenges in Polymer Analysis in Urban Runoff and Wastewater using Pressurized Liquid Extraction and Double-Shot Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

This study developed and validated a pressurized liquid extraction plus pyrolysis-GC/MS method for quantifying PE, PET, PP, and PS microplastics in urban runoff and wastewater, achieving 43–58% recoveries and addressing matrix-specific calibration challenges for standardized environmental analysis.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Quantification Challenges in Polymer Analysis in Urban Runoff and Wastewater using Pressurized Liquid Extraction and Double-Shot Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

This duplicate entry corresponds to the same pressurized liquid extraction plus pyrolysis-GC/MS optimization study for quantifying common microplastics in urban runoff and wastewater, reporting 43–58% polymer recovery rates.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Quantification Challenges in Polymer Analysis in Urban Runoff and Wastewater using Pressurized Liquid Extraction and Double-Shot Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Researchers optimized methods for isolating and measuring common microplastics like polyethylene and polystyrene in urban runoff and wastewater samples. They found that standard extraction techniques achieved only 43-58% recovery rates, and that calibration methods significantly affected measurement accuracy. The study highlights ongoing challenges in reliably quantifying microplastic pollution in real-world water samples.

2025 Analytical Chemistry 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of microplastics in environmental samples via pressurized liquid extraction and pyrolysis-gas chromatography

Researchers combined pressurized liquid extraction with pyrolysis-gas chromatography to quantify microplastics in environmental samples, validating the method against reference materials and real-world samples. The approach offers a quantitative, polymer-specific measurement of bulk microplastic mass in sediments and soils, complementing particle-counting methods.

2019 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 313 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of microplastic targets in environmental matrices using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

This study developed and validated a pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry protocol for quantifying common microplastic polymer types in complex environmental matrices, providing a reliable thermal analysis method for assessing microplastic pollution.

2024 Environmental Science Advances 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Veliu_et_al_pyGCMS_data_supplementary_material

Researchers developed and validated substrate-specific calibration curves for pyrolysis-GC/MS quantification of HDPE, PET, PP, PS, and PVC microplastics in organic-rich samples, demonstrating that matrix composition significantly affects analytical accuracy when using standard inorganic calibration matrices.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Veliu_et_al_pyGCMS_data_supplementary_material

Researchers developed and validated substrate-specific calibration curves for pyrolysis-GC/MS quantification of HDPE, PET, PP, PS, and PVC microplastics in organic-rich samples, demonstrating that matrix composition significantly affects analytical accuracy when using standard inorganic calibration matrices.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Quantification of polystyrene microplastics in soils by pyrolysis-GC-MS: Effects of matrix and polymer molecular weight

Researchers investigated the effects of polymer molecular weight and soil matrix composition on pyrolysis-GC-MS quantification of polystyrene microplastics, finding that low molecular weight PS produced fewer pyrolysis markers than high molecular weight PS and that soil matrices caused up to 5-fold quantification errors depending on the marker selected. Addition of poly(4-fluorostyrene) as an internal standard helped minimize matrix effects, improving the reliability of this analytical method.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Identification and Quantification of Nanoplastics in Surface Water and Groundwater by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Researchers developed a method combining ultrafiltration and pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify and quantify nanoplastics in surface water and groundwater. The study successfully detected six types of plastic polymers at the nanoscale in environmental water samples, providing much-needed quantitative data on nanoplastic pollution in real-world water sources.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 210 citations
Article Tier 2

Analytical Approaches for Analyzing Microplastics Using Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry and Accelerated Solvent Extraction

Using a combination of solvent extraction and pyrolysis-based mass analysis, researchers quantified five plastic polymers in biosolids from two municipal wastewater treatment plants, finding that polyethylene dominated by mass. This mass-based approach complements particle-counting methods and provides a clearer picture of the true polymer burden in sludge that is often spread on agricultural soil, creating a potential pathway for microplastics to enter the food chain.

2026 CUNY Academic Works (City University of New York)
Article Tier 2

Quantification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) in environmental samples after methanolysis via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Researchers developed a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for quantifying poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in environmental samples via methanolysis depolymerization, addressing the limitations of thermoanalytical methods that are subject to strong matrix effects from inorganic compounds.

2025 Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry
Article Tier 2

Analysis of polyethylene microplastics in environmental samples, using a thermal decomposition method

Researchers developed a thermal analysis method using pyrolysis-GC/MS to identify and quantify polyethylene microplastics in environmental samples without relying on visual sorting or density separation. The approach provides a more objective and automatable way to measure microplastic mass in complex environmental matrices.

2015 Water Research 450 citations
Article Tier 2

Py–GC–MS analysis for microplastics: Unlocking matrix challenges and sample recovery when analyzing wastewater for polypropylene and polystyrene

This study tested a common lab method for detecting microplastics in wastewater and found that while the analytical technique itself was reliable, the sample preparation steps caused significant loss of plastic material. This means some microplastic contamination studies may be underestimating the true levels in wastewater. Accurate measurement methods are important because wastewater is a major pathway through which microplastics reach drinking water and the environment.

2024 Water Research 42 citations
Article Tier 2

A practical method for mass quantification of microplastics in soil media using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Researchers developed and validated a pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) method for quantifying polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics in soil, achieving low detection limits (0.02-0.44 microgram), strong linearity, and recovery rates of 86-100% across three soil types. Cryomilling improved homogeneity and accuracy by 3.2%, and FTIR confirmed polymer identities with over 85% spectral match.

2025 MethodsX
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the environment: Sampling, pretreatment, analysis and occurrence based on current and newly-exploited chromatographic approaches

This review comprehensively examined sampling, pretreatment, and chromatographic analysis methods for microplastics in environmental matrices, evaluating conventional and newly developed approaches and identifying liquid chromatography and pyrolysis-GC/MS as the most promising platforms for chemical characterization of complex microplastic mixtures.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Discrimination and simultaneous quantification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(butylene terephthalate) microplastics in environmental samples via gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Scientists developed a method using chemical depolymerization followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to simultaneously identify and quantify two common plastic types — PET and PBT — as microplastics in environmental water samples, without requiring complex separation steps. The method achieved high recovery rates (89–100%) and low detection limits, making it practical for routine environmental monitoring of textile and packaging microplastics.

2024 Microchimica Acta 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Quantification and Polyethylene Overestimation in Agricultural Soil Using Large-Volume Pyrolysis and TD-GC-MS/MS

Researchers developed a method for quantifying microplastics in large soil samples using pyrolysis combined with thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. They found that organic matter in agricultural soils can cause significant overestimation of polyethylene concentrations, particularly when samples are not properly pre-treated. The study emphasizes the need for careful method validation to avoid false-positive microplastic measurements in complex environmental samples.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Determination of microplastics in agricultural soil by double‐shot pyrolysis‐gas chromatography combined with two‐step extraction

Researchers developed a pyrolysis-gas chromatography method combining two-step solvent extraction to simultaneously measure five common microplastic polymer types (PC, PS, PP, PE, PET) in agricultural soil samples with good sensitivity and linearity. A reliable, validated method for quantifying microplastics in soil is essential for understanding how agricultural practices and plastic mulch use contribute to soil contamination and potential human dietary exposure.

2023 Journal of Separation Science 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of polystyrene nanoplastics from natural organic matter in complex environmental matrices by pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Researchers used pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify polystyrene nanoplastics in environmental samples containing natural organic matter, developing methods to distinguish nanoplastic signals from complex organic background matrices in water.

2023 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Standard Test Method for Identification of Polymer Type and Quantity of Microplastic Particles and Fibers in Waters with High to Low Suspended Solids Using Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Researchers developed and standardized a pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) test method for identifying and quantifying microplastic polymer types and quantities across waters with varying suspended solids levels. The standard addresses the growing recognition of polymeric organic compounds as contaminants in drinking water, wastewater, surface water, groundwater, and marine waters.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastic analysis using chemical extraction followed by LC-UV analysis: a straightforward approach to determine PET content in environmental samples

Researchers developed a straightforward method for microplastic analysis combining chemical extraction with LC-UV detection to determine PET content in environmental samples including sewage sludge and bio-waste applied to agricultural soils. The study demonstrated that this approach provides quantitative data on terrestrial microplastic contamination via a practical laboratory workflow.

2020 Environmental Sciences Europe 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Identification by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (py-GCMS)

This paper reviews pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) as a method for identifying and quantifying microplastics in environmental samples. The technique can identify specific polymer types even in complex environmental matrices where visual identification is difficult.

2019
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastic quantification using pyrolysis GC-MS: the hidden complexity

This editorial review examines the analytical challenges and hidden complexities of using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for quantifying micro- and nanoplastics in environmental samples. The authors discuss sources of measurement uncertainty, matrix interference, and the limitations of current standardization approaches that complicate accurate nanoplastic quantification by this technique.

2025 Open Repository and Bibliography (University of Liège)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics analysis in environmental samples – recent pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method improvements to increase the reliability of mass-related data

This study improved pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) methods for measuring mass-related microplastic data in environmental samples, enhancing reliability and sensitivity for trace-level analysis. Better analytical methods are essential for accurately quantifying microplastic contamination across diverse environmental matrices.

2019 Analytical Methods 224 citations