Quantification of Poly(vinyl chloride) Microplastics via Pressurized Liquid Extraction and Combustion Ion Chromatography

Abstract

A reliable analytical method has been developed to quantify poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) in environmental samples. Quantification was conducted via combustion ion chromatography (C-IC). Hydrogen chloride (HCl) was quantitatively released from PVC during thermal decomposition and trapped in an absorption solution. Selectivity of the marker HCl in complex environmental samples was ensured using cleanup via pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with methanol at 100 °C (discarded) and tetrahydrofuran at 185 °C (collected). Using this method, recoveries of 85.5 ± 11.5% and a limit of quantification down to 8.3 μg/g were achieved. A variety of hard and soft PVC products could be successfully analyzed via C-IC with recoveries exceeding >95%. Furthermore, no measurable overdetermination was found for various organic and inorganic matrix ingredients, such as sodium chloride, sucralose, hydroxychloroquine, diclofenac, chloramphenicol, triclosan, or polychlorinated biphenyls. In addition, sediments and suspended particular matter showed PVC concentrations ranging up to 16.0 and 220 μg/g, respectively. However, the gap between determined polymer mass and particle masses could be significant since soft PVC products contain plasticizers up to 50 wt %. Hence, the results of the described method represent a sum of all chlorine-containing polymers, which are extractable under the chosen conditions.

Riverbed depth-specific microplastics distribution and potential use as process marker

“…Pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (pyr-GC/MS) analysis as described by Dierkes et al ( 2019 ) was performed to quantify the polymer mass of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) (LOQ: 0.007 PE mg/g, 0.007 PP mg/g, and 0.008 PS mg/g). In parallel, the silica gel extracts were also used for combustion ion chromatography (C-IC) analysis as described by Kamp et al ( 2023 ) to quantify the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) mass (LOQ: 0.008 PVC mg/g). The workflow enables the quantification of MPs in sediments in a few hours and was referred to as “TAM sediment ”.…”

Quantitative Determination of Poly(methyl Methacrylate) Micro/Nanoplastics by Cooling-Assisted Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled to Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry: Theoretical and Experimental Insights

“…However, direct instrumental analysis of complex matrices may lead to contamination of instruments and unpredictable interference stemming from decomposed compounds, leading to reduced sensitivity and uncertainty in the results. In such cases, it is recommended that an appropriate sample preparation and extraction technique is employed for the isolation and preconcentration of MNPs from complex matrices. − Zhou et al proposed cloud-point extraction for sensitive determination of MNPs prior to Py-GC-MS using Triton X-45 as an extractant, achieving an enrichment factor of 500. Nevertheless, tedious pretreatment procedures for solvent extraction might lead to pollution during the extraction process; further, the copious amounts of organic solvent needed for such a technique do not meet green analysis requirements.…”