Papers

61,005 results
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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

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

Pyr-GC-MS analysis of microplastics extracted from farmland soils

This study used pyrolysis-GC-MS to identify and quantify microplastics in farmland soils, finding multiple polymer types in agricultural fields. The work helps establish analytical methods for studying this growing but less-studied pathway of microplastic contamination.

2021 International Journal of Environmental & Analytical Chemistry 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of Microplastics by Pyrolysis Coupled with Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry in Sediments: Challenges and Implications

Researchers identified challenges in quantifying microplastics by pyrolysis-GC/MS in sediment samples, finding that incomplete matrix removal during purification can generate interfering pyrolysis products that lead to overestimation of microplastic concentrations.

2022 Microplastics 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics disrupt accurate soil organic carbon measurement based on chemical oxidation method

Microplastic contamination of soil was found to interfere with standard chemical oxidation methods for measuring soil organic carbon, leading to significant overestimates because plastic particles are oxidized alongside organic matter during analysis.

2021 Chemosphere 98 citations
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

Quantitative Analysis of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Microplastics in Soil via Thermogravimetry–Mass Spectrometry

Researchers developed a thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry method to quantitatively measure polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics in soil, achieving detection limits suitable for environmentally relevant concentrations. The method addresses a key analytical challenge in soil microplastic research where conventional optical methods struggle with complex soil matrices.

2018 Analytical Chemistry 195 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of microplastics in agricultural soils by total organic carbon -solid sample combustion analysis

Researchers developed an improved method for extracting and measuring microplastics in agricultural soils using a total organic carbon analyzer, achieving recovery rates above 94%. When they applied this technique to strawberry farm soils that use plastic mulch films, they found measurable levels of microplastic contamination dominated by polyethylene. The method provides a more practical and accurate way to quantify the actual weight of microplastics in soil, which is important for assessing pollution from agricultural plastic use.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of microplastics in soil samples by using a thermal decomposition method

Researchers tested thermal decomposition as a method for extracting and identifying microplastics in soil samples, a particularly challenging matrix because organic matter interferes with optical detection methods. The approach showed promise for detecting and quantifying plastic content in complex soil environments.

2019 EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Measuring micro- and nanoplastics in agricultural soils by py-GC/MS-IRMS

Researchers applied pyrolysis-GC/MS coupled with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS-IRMS) to measure micro- and nanoplastics in agricultural soils, demonstrating that this technique can quantify nanoplastic concentrations below the detection limits of optical methods like micro-FTIR and micro-Raman spectroscopy.

2025
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

Determination of Polystyrene Microplastic in Soil by Pyrolysis – Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (pyr-GC-MS)

This study developed and validated a pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC-MS) method for quantifying polystyrene microplastics in soil samples. The technique offers a sensitive analytical approach for detecting plastic contamination in terrestrial environments.

2023 Analytical Letters 18 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 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

A Simple Method for Quantification of Polyhydroxybutyrate and Polylactic Acid Micro-Bioplastics in Soils by Evolved Gas Analysis

Researchers developed a simple thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry method for quantifying poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polylactic acid (PLA) micro-bioplastics in soils by measuring specific low-molecular-weight gases evolved during pyrolysis, finding that constant ratios of characteristic pyrolysis products enabled reliable detection above the limit of quantification despite varying soil organic carbon content.

2022 Molecules 16 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

Development of an analytical method for the analysis of microplastics by Pyrolysis-GC/MS : application on Seine River sediments

Researchers developed and validated an analytical method using pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) for quantifying microplastics in complex environmental matrices, applying it to Seine River sediment samples rich in mineral and organic matter. They found that Py-GC/MS effectively determined mass concentrations of target polymers and proved complementary to micro-FTIR, though interfering compounds from organic-rich matrices required careful method optimization.

2024 theses.fr (ABES)
Article Tier 2

Total organic carbon-based proxy for QuEChERS estimation of microplastic mass in soils

Researchers developed a rapid, low-cost method to quantify microplastic mass in soils by combining bleach-based organic matter removal, density separation, and total organic carbon (TOC) analysis, validating it against pyrolysis-GC/MS across 17 field soils spanning forest, agricultural, roadside, and industrial land uses.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Thermogravimetry coupled with mass spectrometry successfully used to quantify polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics in organic amendments

Researchers developed a thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry method to quantify polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics in organic amendments like compost and manure, providing a tool to support future legislation on microplastic limits in agricultural inputs.

2022 Environmental Research 23 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of some common inorganic soil components on the pyrolytic analysis of plastics

Researchers studied how common soil minerals like clays and iron compounds affect the accuracy of a standard laboratory technique used to detect plastics in soil samples. They found that certain minerals interfered with the analysis by altering the breakdown products of the plastics, potentially leading to misidentification or underestimation of contamination. The findings are important for improving the reliability of microplastic measurements in environmental soil monitoring.

2024 Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Chromatografische Verfahren zur Charakterisierung von Mikroplastik im Boden

This study reviewed chromatographic methods for characterizing microplastics in soil, assessing their suitability for identifying and quantifying the diverse polymer types accumulating in terrestrial environments due to decades of widespread plastic use.

2023
Article Tier 2

Identifying an accurate and efficient approach to soil organic matter removal for quantifying microplastics in agricultural soils

Researchers evaluated multiple soil organic matter removal strategies for microplastic extraction from agricultural soils, comparing their efficiency in decomposing organic interference while preserving microplastic integrity. The study identifies an optimal approach that balances thorough SOM removal with minimal microplastic degradation, supporting more accurate quantification in contaminated agricultural samples.

2025 Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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
Article Tier 2

Abundances of agricultural microplastics and their contribution to the soil organic carbon pool in plastic film mulching fields of Xinjiang, China

Researchers found that microplastics in plastic-mulched agricultural fields in Xinjiang, China contribute to the soil organic carbon pool, potentially causing overestimation of soil carbon sequestration when conventional measurement methods fail to separate microplastics from soil.

2023 Chemosphere 58 citations