Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Matrix Matters: novel insights for the extraction, preparation, and quantitation of microplastics in a freshwater mesocosm study

Researchers developed improved methods for extracting, preparing, and quantifying secondary microplastics in freshwater mesocosm studies, addressing the current lack of reliable extraction techniques needed for robust microplastic exposure and risk assessments.

2023 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Challenge for the detection of microplastics in the environment

This review examines the major challenges in detecting and quantifying microplastics across different environmental matrices, including sampling inconsistencies, contamination risks, and limitations of current analytical methods. Addressing these methodological challenges is essential for producing reliable data on microplastic pollution levels worldwide.

2019 Water Environment Research 192 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Natural Water: Sources and Determination

This paper reviews the sources of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments and the analytical methods used to characterize and quantify microplastic particles, covering sampling, extraction, and identification techniques relevant to freshwater and marine monitoring.

2023 WATER AND WATER PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL NEWS 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplásticos: Ocorrência Ambiental E Desafios Analíticos

This review covers the environmental occurrence of microplastics (1 µm to 5 mm) and the analytical challenges involved in their detection, discussing how biological and physicochemical processes alter plastic debris in ecosystems and the methods used to identify and quantify microplastics across environmental matrices.

2021 Química Nova 48 citations
Article Tier 2

The power of a multi-technique approach for the reliable quantification of microplastics in water

Researchers applied a multi-technique analytical approach combining several spectroscopic and microscopic methods to improve the reliability of microplastic quantification in environmental samples. The combined approach reduced false positives and improved polymer identification accuracy compared to any single method used alone.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The power of a multi-technique approach for the reliable quantification of microplastics in water

Researchers applied multiple analytical techniques in combination to improve the accuracy and reliability of microplastic quantification in environmental samples. The multi-technique approach outperformed any single method, demonstrating its value for generating robust data from complex matrices.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Enzymatic Purification of Microplastics in Environmental Samples

Researchers developed an enzymatic purification protocol to remove biological material from environmental samples before microplastic analysis, finding it improved the accuracy and reliability of microplastic identification and quantification.

2017 Environmental Science & Technology 506 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic extraction protocols can impact the polymer structure

Researchers found that common laboratory extraction protocols used to isolate microplastics from environmental samples can alter the polymer structure of the particles, potentially skewing identification and quantification results.

2021 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics are overestimated due to poor quality control of reagents

This study demonstrated that inadequate quality control of chemical reagents used in microplastic analysis can introduce contamination that leads to systematic overestimation of microplastic concentrations in environmental samples, highlighting a critical methodological flaw in the field.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Differentiation of petro-sourced plastic microfilaments from organic microfilaments by SEM-EDX in environmental samples

Researchers developed methods to differentiate petrochemical-sourced plastic microfilaments from natural and biogenic fibers in environmental samples, improving the accuracy of microplastic identification. The approach reduces misclassification errors that have complicated comparisons across monitoring studies.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic isolation method for wastewater and sludge samples by removal of excess organic and inorganic interferences

Researchers developed an improved microplastic isolation method for wastewater and sludge samples that removes extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) interfering with detection. The optimized protocol improves the accuracy and reliability of microplastic quantification in complex environmental matrices.

2023 Chemosphere 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing diversity, abundance, and mass of microplastics (~ 1–300 μm) in aquatic systems

Researchers developed improved methods for quantifying very small microplastic particles (roughly 1 to 300 micrometers) in freshwater systems, showing that conventional sampling dramatically underestimates plastic particle counts. Accurately measuring this smaller size fraction is critical for understanding real-world microplastic concentrations and their biological impacts.

2021 Limnology and Oceanography Methods 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Protocol for microplastic pollution monitoring in freshwater ecosystems: Towards a high-throughput sample processing - MICROPLASTREAM

Scientists developed a standardized high-throughput protocol for processing freshwater microplastic samples, addressing the challenge that freshwater samples contain far more organic matter than seawater. Consistent, efficient processing methods are essential for generating comparable microplastic data across different rivers and lakes.

2021 MethodsX 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards a Consensus Method for the Isolation of Microplastics from Freshwater Sediments

This paper works toward a consensus method for isolating microplastics from complex environmental matrices, comparing existing protocols and identifying sources of variability in recovery and detection. Standardization is identified as critical for making results comparable across studies.

2024 Environments 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Binary Solvent Extraction of Microplastics from Complex Environmental Matrix.

Researchers tested a two-solvent extraction method for isolating microplastics from complex environmental matrices. An efficient extraction technique is important for accurately detecting and quantifying microplastics in samples like sediment and biological tissue that contain many other organic and inorganic compounds.

2023
Article Tier 2

Sampling, Isolating and Identifying Microplastics Ingested by Fish and Invertebrates *

This methodological review critically evaluated sampling, isolation, and identification techniques for microplastics ingested by fish and invertebrates, identifying common sources of error including contamination during processing, particle loss, and misidentification — and recommending standardized protocols.

2020 85 citations
Article Tier 2

Validation of Sample Preparation Methods for Microplastic Analysis in Wastewater Matrices—Reproducibility and Standardization

Sample preparation methods for microplastic analysis in wastewater were validated against reference standards to assess recovery rates and reproducibility. The validation study identified methods that reliably extract microplastics from complex wastewater matrices, supporting more consistent environmental monitoring of microplastic discharge from treatment plants.

2020 Water 180 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimising microplastics analysis for quantifying and identifying microplastic fibres in laundry wastewater

This methodological paper optimized microplastic analysis protocols for identifying and quantifying particles in environmental samples, comparing extraction, digestion, and spectroscopic identification approaches to improve accuracy and reduce contamination.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Validation of microplastic sample preparation method for freshwater samples

Researchers developed and validated a standardized sample preparation method for extracting microplastics from freshwater samples, testing enzymatic digestion and density separation steps to improve recovery rates and reduce measurement uncertainty across different particle types.

2021 Water Research 46 citations
Article Tier 2

A systematic protocol of microplastics analysis from their identification to quantification in water environment: A comprehensive review

This review provides a systematic protocol for identifying and quantifying microplastics in water environments, covering sampling, extraction, and analytical techniques. Researchers evaluate the strengths and limitations of methods including visual sorting, spectroscopic analysis, and thermal techniques for characterizing microplastic pollution. The study emphasizes the urgent need for standardized methodologies to enable meaningful comparisons across different microplastic research studies.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 150 citations
Article Tier 2

Representative subsampling methods for the chemical identification of microplastic particles in environmental samples

Researchers evaluated different subsampling approaches for selecting microplastic particles from environmental samples for chemical identification, testing representativeness across particle count, size, and polymer type. The study identified best-practice protocols for achieving reliable estimates of plastic fraction and polymer composition from large heterogeneous samples.

2022 Chemosphere 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Are We Underestimating Microplastic Contamination in Aquatic Environments?

This review argues that current microplastic monitoring methods likely underestimate the true extent of contamination in aquatic environments, especially for small particles and fibers. The authors call for standardized, more sensitive detection methods to better inform regulation and risk assessment.

2017 Environmental Management 277 citations