The marine nano- and microplastics characterisation by SEM-EDX: The potential of the method in comparison with various physical and chemical approaches

Gniadek, Marianna; Dąbrowska, Agnieszka

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.07.067

Cited by 136 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…SEM/EDS provided high-resolution imaging of particle surface structures, as well as elemental composition signatures. This technique is very useful for the recognition of organic (rich in Ca/Mg/Sr) and inorganic (minerals, salts) and microplastics (rich in C/Cl/S/Ti) [42]. Therefore, EDS was used to screening for likely microplastics and exclusion non-plastics.…”

Section: Laboratory and Statistical Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic Pollution in the Surface Waters from Plain and Mountainous Lakes in Siberia, Russia

Malygina

Mitrofanova

Kuryatnikova

et al. 2021

Water

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Microplastics (MPs) contaminations of freshwater and marine environments has become a global issue. Lakes in southern Siberia provide a wide range of ecosystem services and are essential elements in the annual and interannual runoff distribution of the Great Siberian Rivers. However, the extent of their MPs pollution remains unknown. In this paper, for the first time, we analyze the concentrations, composition, and spatial distribution of MPs in six lakes in southern Siberia. The studied lakes are located both in the Altai mountains and the West Siberian plain. Some of them are significantly impacted by human activities, while others are located in protected areas with no permanent population. Nevertheless, MPs were detected in all of the studied lakes. MPs concentrations ranged from 4 to 26 MPs L−1. Comparing with other inland lakes, South Siberian lakes presented moderate MPs concentrations. Among the registered MPs forms, fragments and films were dominant, with a size range between 31 and 60 nm. The MPs’ sources depend on local human activities (fishing, transport, landfilling). Therefore, sufficiently high concentrations were observed even in remote lakes. The present study set a baseline that emphasizes the need for increased attention to waste management and sustainable water use in Siberian freshwater environments.

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Section: Laboratory and Statistical Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic Pollution in the Surface Waters from Plain and Mountainous Lakes in Siberia, Russia

Malygina

Mitrofanova

Kuryatnikova

et al. 2021

Water

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“…While not typically used for direct polymer identification, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a powerful technique for delineating minute structural features, including deformities in, as well as colonizing organisms on, plastic debris surfaces (Zettler et al 2013;Gniadek and Dąbrowska 2019). EM exhibits orders of magnitude greater spatial resolution (~0.0004 μm) than light microscopy (~0.3 μm).…”

Section: Electron Microscopy (Em)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Analytical Chemistry of Plastic Debris: Sampling, Methods, and Instrumentation

Hale

Seeley

King

et al. 2021

Microplastic in the Environment: Pattern and Process

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Approaches for the collection and analysis of plastic debris in environmental matrices are rapidly evolving. Such plastics span a continuum of sizes, encompassing large (macro-), medium (micro-, typically defined as particles between 1 μm and 5 mm), and smaller (nano-) plastics. All are of environmental relevance. Particle sizes are dynamic. Large plastics may fragment over time, while smaller particles may agglomerate in the field. The diverse morphologies (fragment, fiber, sphere) and chemical compositions of microplastics further complicate their characterization. Fibers are of growing interest and present particular analytical challenges due to their narrow profiles. Compositional classes of emerging concern include tire wear, paint chips, semisynthetics (e.g., rayon), and bioplastics. Plastics commonly contain chemical additives and fillers, which may alter their toxicological potency, behavior (e.g., buoyancy), or detector response (e.g., yield fluorescence) during analysis. Field sampling methods often focus on >20 μm and even >300 μm sized particles and will thus not capture smaller microplastics (which may be most abundant and bioavailable). Analysis of a limited subgroup (selected polymer types, particle sizes, or shapes) of microplastics, while often operationally necessary, can result in an underestimation of actual sample content. These shortcomings complicate calls for toxicological studies of microplastics to be based on “environmentally relevant concentrations.” Sample matrices of interest include water (including wastewater, ice, snow), sediment (soil, dust, wastewater sludge), air, and biota. Properties of the environment, and of the particles themselves, may concentrate plastic debris in select zones (e.g., gyres, shorelines, polar ice, wastewater sludge). Sampling designs should consider such patchy distributions. Episodic releases due to weather and anthropogenic discharges should also be considered. While water grab samples and sieving are commonplace, novel techniques for microplastic isolation, such as continuous flow centrifugation, show promise. The abundance of nonplastic particulates (e.g., clay, detritus, biological material) in samples interferes with microplastic detection and characterization. Their removal is typically accomplished using a combination of gravity separation and oxidative digestion (including strong bases, peroxide, enzymes); unfortunately, aggressive treatments may damage more labile plastics. Microscope-based infrared or Raman detection is often applied to provide polymer chemistry and morphological data for individual microplastic particles. However, the sheer number of particles in many samples presents logistical hurdles. In response, instruments have been developed that employ detector arrays and rapid scanning lasers. The addition of dyes to stain particulates may facilitate spectroscopic detection of some polymer types. Most researchers provide microplastic data in the form of the abundances of polymer types within particle size, polymer, and morphology classes. Polymer mass data in samples remain rare but are essential to elucidating fate. Rather than characterizing individual particles in samples, solvent extraction (following initial sample prep, such as sediment size class sorting), combined with techniques such as thermoanalysis (e.g., pyrolysis), has been used to generate microplastic mass data. However, this may obviate the acquisition of individual particle morphology and compositional information. Alternatively, some techniques (e.g., electron and atomic force microscopy and matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry) are adept at providing highly detailed data on the size, morphology, composition, and surface chemistry of select particles. Ultimately, the analyst must select the approach best suited for their study goals. Robust quality control elements are also critical to evaluate the accuracy and precision of the sampling and analysis techniques. Further, improved efforts are required to assess and control possible sample contamination due to the ubiquitous distribution of microplastics, especially in indoor environments where samples are processed.

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“…Moreover, SEM can connect with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), which allows fast morphology analysis, qualitative and quantitative analysis of microplastic composition elements. This technology can identify the type of additives in the polymer [93,119]. However, SEM requires considerable time and effort for sample pre-preparation .…”

Section: Visual Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review on the occurrence, distribution, characteristics, and analysis methods of microplastic pollution in ecosystem s

Chen

Wang

Liu

et al. 2021

Environmental Pollutants and Bioavailability

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Although plastic materials play an essential role in life, the intensive production of plastic products and mismanagement of plastic waste worldwide have resulted in microplastic pollution. The two major characteristics of environmental microplastics are having small size and resistance to degradation, which make microplastics a persistent organic pollutant. As microplastic pollution has been observed in diverse environmental matrices, it has attracted great attention of scholars globally. Over the last decade, scholars have mainly documented the particle properties of microplastics, such as size, shape or color and their adverse effects on organisms. However, no research has updated on environmental microplastics from the perspective of multi-media. Our review first summarized the literature in the occurrence, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in three kinds of environmental matrices (water, soil, and air) to the public. We then identify the methodological challenges in researches and discuss the advantages and limitations of popular methods to analyze environmental microplastics. Eventually, our paper highlights the current challenges and proposes suggestions for the future research on microplastic pollution.

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The marine nano- and microplastics characterisation by SEM-EDX: The potential of the method in comparison with various physical and chemical approaches

Cited by 136 publications

References 30 publications

Microplastic Pollution in the Surface Waters from Plain and Mountainous Lakes in Siberia, Russia

Microplastic Pollution in the Surface Waters from Plain and Mountainous Lakes in Siberia, Russia

Analytical Chemistry of Plastic Debris: Sampling, Methods, and Instrumentation

A review on the occurrence, distribution, characteristics, and analysis methods of microplastic pollution in ecosystem s

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