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Pretreatment methods for monitoring microplastics in soil and freshwater sediment samples: A comprehensive review
Citation:
Lee, H., S. Kim, A. Sin, G. Kim, S. Khan, Mallikarjuna N. Nadagouda, Endalkac Sahle-Demessie, AND C. Han. Pretreatment methods for monitoring microplastics in soil and freshwater sediment samples: A comprehensive review. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier BV, AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, 871:161718, (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161718
Impact/Purpose:
A large volume of microplastics enters the environment worldwide via different routes, causing adverse effects on the ecosystems. This paper presents a comprehensive review on the pretreatment methods used for microplastics analysis in freshwater sediment and soil samples, which are often difficult to be pretreated due to their complex composition. It was possible to elucidate a trend of common methods for the pretreatment processes by dividing pretreatment steps as sample processing, density separation, organic removal, and sample analysis. However, it is still challenging to suggest a representative method for sample pretreatment due to varying factors, parameters and methods that are study specific. In addition, depending on the sizes and types of microplastics to be analyzed for different purposes, the order of pretreatment steps changed fluidly. To develop an appropriate pretreatment method, it is vital to establish a standard or representative method by referring to optimal conditions tested in different studies.
Description:
This paper reviews the currently used pretreatment methods for microplastics (MPs) analysis in soil and freshwater sediments, primarily sample processing, pretreatment, and characterization methods for MPs analysis. In addition, analytical tools (e.g., lab instruments), MPs characteristics, and MPs quantity, are included in this review. Prior to pretreatment, soil and sediment samples are typically processed using sieving and drying methods, and a sample quantity of <50 g was mostly used for the pretreatment. Density separation was commonly performed before organic matter removal. Sodium chloride (NaCl) and zinc chloride (ZnCl2) were most often used for density separation, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) oxidation was most frequently used to remove organic matter. Although advantages of each pretreatment method have been investigated, it is still challenging to determine a universal pretreatment method due to sample variability (e.g., sample characteristics). Furthermore, it is highly required to establish standard pretreatment methods that can be used for various environmental matrices, including air, water, and wastes as well as soil and sediment.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Pretreatment methods for monitoring microplastics in soil and freshwater sediment samples: A comprehensive review
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