Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Optimization of a method used for extracting microplastics from an organic matter-rich matrix and isolated particles assessment

Researchers optimized a method for extracting microplastics from sewage sludge — a challenging organic-rich matrix — by combining density separation and chemical digestion steps, improving recovery rates and enabling more accurate characterization of sludge-associated microplastics.

2025 Chemosphere 2 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

A novel method for organic matter removal from samples containing microplastics

Researchers developed a novel organic matter removal method for wastewater treatment plant sludge samples containing microplastics, demonstrating that the approach is more time- and cost-effective than existing techniques while preserving microplastic integrity for accurate quantification and identification.

2021 Environmental Pollution 45 citations
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

Microplastics extraction from wastewater treatment plants: Two-step digestion pre-treatment and application

Researchers developed an optimized two-step digestion method for extracting microplastics from wastewater treatment plant samples, achieving high recovery rates especially in organic-rich matrices like sludge, and applied it across multiple treatment stages.

2023 Water Research 30 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

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

Critical comparison of rapid methods for the extraction of microplastics from wastewater and investigation of a facile alternative

Researchers critically compared rapid extraction methods for microplastics from wastewater samples and investigated a facile alternative approach, evaluating how well established protocols perform on environmental samples relative to their original optimization conditions.

2025 Chemosphere
Article Tier 2

Optimised reduction of total solids and organic matter of sewage sludge matrix for an improved extraction of microplastics

Researchers optimized chemical digestion protocols for extracting microplastics from sewage sludge, finding that maximizing reduction of total solids and organic carbon content significantly improved the reliability and efficiency of subsequent density-based microplastic separation.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Comprehensive assessment of various digestion protocols for extraction microplastics from organic-rich environmental matrices

Researchers tested 27 different chemical protocols for extracting microplastics from organic-rich samples like animal tissue, plants, soil, and sewage sludge. They identified the best digestion method for each sample type that removes organic matter while preserving the integrity of 26 different plastic types. The optimized protocols achieved recovery rates above 98%, offering a standardized approach for more accurate microplastic analysis across different environmental samples.

2025 Water Research 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined application of analytical techniques for microplastic determination to achieve comprehensive results for sewage sludge samples

Researchers combined multiple analytical techniques for comprehensive microplastic determination in sewage sludge samples, addressing the challenge that more than 90% of microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants are retained in sludge and require robust multi-method characterization.

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

Miscounting microplastics as a result of matrix molecules: optimizing identification and quantification of microplastics in natural freshwater systems

Researchers investigated how matrix molecules in environmental samples can cause miscounting of microplastics during identification, optimising analytical protocols to distinguish true microplastic particles from interfering compounds and improve the accuracy of microplastic quantification in environmental chemistry studies.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts
Article Tier 2

Combined application of analytical techniques for microplastic determination to achieve comprehensive results for sewage sludge samples

Researchers applied a combination of complementary analytical techniques to achieve comprehensive microplastic characterization in sewage sludge samples, addressing the limitations of using single methods for such complex matrices. They found that more than 90% of microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants are retained in the resulting sludge, and that combining analytical approaches improved detection across size ranges and polymer types.

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

Extracting and characterizing microplastics and nanoplastics from environmental samples

Researchers developed a standardized four-step extraction method for isolating and characterizing microplastics and nanoplastics from diverse environmental samples, encompassing predigestion, density separation, postdigestion, and postdensity separation steps to improve cross-study comparability.

2025 Nature Protocols 2 citations
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

A method for the characterisation of microplastics in sludge

Researchers developed a method for detecting and characterizing microplastics in sewage sludge, which concentrates the majority of microplastics removed during wastewater treatment. This method is important because sludge is widely spread on agricultural land, making it a key pathway for microplastics entering soils.

2019 MethodsX 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Extraction and identification of microplastic particles from secondary wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent

A wastewater utility tested extraction and identification methods for microplastics in secondary wastewater effluent and found that matrix-related interferences — particularly organic material and particles of similar size to plastics — complicated reliable detection. The study emphasizes the methodological challenges unique to wastewater matrices.

2016 Analytical Methods 235 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimized ExtractionMethods for Pristine and AgedMicroplastics from Complex Water Samples

Researchers optimized extraction protocols for recovering both pristine and UV-aged microplastics from complex water matrices including seawater, wastewater, and drinking water, finding that aged MPs require different treatment conditions than pristine particles to achieve reliable recovery.

2025 Figshare
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

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

Pretreatment methods for the isolation of microplastics from wastewater and sludge samples: Part 1

This article reviews pretreatment methods used to isolate microplastics from wastewater and sludge samples, covering the first part of a multi-part technical overview published in a Polish engineering journal. The review addresses the procedural steps required to separate microplastic particles from complex environmental matrices prior to identification and quantification.

2025 GAZ WODA I TECHNIKA SANITARNA
Article Tier 2

Effects of chemical pretreatments on microplastic extraction in sewage sludge and their physicochemical characteristics

This study evaluated different chemical pretreatment methods for extracting microplastics from sewage sludge, finding that some treatments can alter the physical and chemical properties of plastic particles in ways that affect identification. Choosing the right extraction method is important for accurately characterizing microplastic contamination in biosolids.

2019 Water Research 166 citations
Article Tier 2

Developmentof Standardized Methods to Extract andDigest Microplastics in Environmental Samples

Researchers reviewed and compared extraction and digestion methods for isolating microplastics from environmental samples, finding that the lack of standardization across techniques is a major barrier to producing comparable results and calling for validated universal protocols.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Rapid and efficient removal of organic matter from sewage sludge for extraction of microplastics

Researchers tested hydrogen peroxide combined with enzymatic treatment as an efficient method for removing organic matter from sewage sludge before microplastic extraction, overcoming the limitations of acid digestion for organic-rich matrices. The optimized approach improved MP recovery and reduced interference during spectroscopic identification steps.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 63 citations