Isolation and Extraction of Microplastics from Environmental Samples: An Evaluation of Practical Approaches and Recommendations for Further Harmonization

Is It or Isn't It: The Importance of Visual Classification in Microplastic Characterization

“…Density separation, which utilizes solutions with a high specific gravity, is amongst the most commonly applied methods used to separate plastic, and other low-density materials from heavier sample matrices, such as benthic sediments. 11,13 Sequential density extraction procedures may also be used to isolate particles based upon their behavior in different aqueous media; for example, polypropylene, polyethene and ethyl vinyl acetate are polymers with specific densities <0.98 g cm −3 which can be separated using freshwater alone. Separation using saturated salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) solution (1.2 g cm −3 ) will also suspend polystyrene, acrylics, polyamides and polymethylmethacrylate.…”

Toward the Systematic Identification of Microplastics in the Environment: Evaluation of a New Independent Software Tool (siMPle) for Spectroscopic Analysis

“…Each of these steps has its challenges (cf. Lusher et al., 3 Brander et al., 4 Primpke et al., 6 and Cowger et al. 14 ).…”

“…1,2 The near-ubiquitous contamination of the environment, from terrestrial soils and air to the freshwater and marine environments has raised the profile of this topic in recent years, leading to a wealth of methods and approaches for sampling and analyzing MP in environmental matrices. 3–11 In general, these particles are defined as <5 mm in size while a lower size limit and a standard definition of MP has yet to be agreed on. 7,12 Subcategories distinguishing between large MP (5 mm–500 µm) and small MP (500–1 µm) 13 are often used, reflecting practical considerations during the full analytical procedure.…”

“…Each of these steps has its challenges (cf. Lusher et al, 3 Brander et al, 4 Primpke et al, 6 and Cowger et al 14 ). Additionally, there is an increasing awareness for quality assurance and quality control (QA/ QC) to successfully and reliably identify MP in environmental samples.…”

Critical Assessment of Analytical Methods for the Harmonized and Cost-Efficient Analysis of Microplastics

“…Such bills require fast and reliable count and polymer type assessments with short processing times. Currently, the analytical procedures available are still being developed and refined (see Lusher et al 7 and Brander et al, 8 in this special issue).…”