TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Axel A1 - Goedecke, Caroline A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Piechotta, Christian A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Microplastic analysis using chemical extraction followed by LC‑UV analysis: a straightforward approach to determine PET content in environmental samples N2 - Background: The ubiquitous occurrence of microplastic particles in marine and aquatic ecosystems was intensively investigated in the past decade. However, we know less about the presence, fate, and input paths of microplastic in terrestrial ecosystems. A possible entry path for microplastic into terrestrial ecosystems is the agricultural application of sewage sludge and solid bio-waste as fertilizers. Microplastic contained in sewage sludge also includes Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which could originate as fiber from textile products or as a fragment from packaging products (foils, bottles, etc.). Information about microplastic content in such environmental samples is limited yet, as most of the used analytical methods are very time-consuming, regarding sample preparation and detection, require sophisticated analytical tools and eventually need high user knowledge. Results: Here, we present a simple, specific tool for the analysis of PET microplastic particles based on alkaline extraction of PET from the environmental matrix and subsequent determination of the monomers, terephthalic acid, using liquid chromatography with UV detection (LC-UV). The applicability of the method is shown for different types of PET in several soil-related, terrestrial environmental samples, e.g., soil, sediment, compost, fermentation residues, but also sewage sludge, suspended particles from urban water management systems, and indoor dust. Recoveries for model samples are between 94.5 and 107.1%. Limit of determination and limit of quantification are absolute masses of 0.031 and 0.121 mg PET, respectively. In order to verify the measured mass contents of the environmental samples, a method comparison with thermal extraction-desorption-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TED-GC/MS) was conducted. Both methods deliver similar results and corroborated each other. PET mass contents in environmental samples range from values below LOQ in agriculture soil up to 57,000 mg kg−1 in dust samples. Conclusions: We demonstrate the potential of an integral method based on chemical extraction for the Determination of PET mass contents in solid environmental samples. The method was successfully applied to various matrices and may serve as an analytical tool for further investigations of PET-based microplastic in terrestrial ecosystems. KW - Soil KW - Analysis KW - Microplastic KW - PET KW - LC-UV PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-509060 IS - 32 SP - 85 PB - Springer Open CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-50906 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dümichen, Erik A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Celina, M. A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Automated thermal extraction-desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry: A multifunctional tool for comprehensive characterization of polymers and their degradation products N2 - The TED-GC-MS analysis is a two-step method. A sample is first decomposed in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and the gaseous decomposition products are then trapped on a solid-phase adsorber. Subsequently, the solid-phase adsorber is analyzed with thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TDU-GC-MS). This method is ideally suited for the analysis of polymers and their degradation processes. Here, a new entirely automated System is introduced which enables high sample throughput and reproducible automated fractioned collection of decomposition products. Strengths and limitations of the system configuration are elaborated via three examples focused on practical challenges in materials analysis and identification: i) separate analysis of the components of a wood-plastic-composite material, ii) quantitative determination of weight concentration of the constituents of a polymer blend and iii) quantitative analysis of model samples of microplastics in suspended particulate matter. KW - Thermal extraction-desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry KW - Analysis KW - Polymers KW - Microplastics KW - Automation PY - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2019.01.033 VL - 1592 SP - 133 EP - 142 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-48287 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - About Standardization and Analytics of Microplastics N2 - Presentation about national and international standardization of microplastic analysis, as well as the project RUSEKU T2 - Industrievereinigung Chemiefaser e.V. CY - Frankfurt, Germany DA - 26.02.2019 KW - Standardisation KW - Microplastic KW - Analysis PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-47577 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Fast identification of microplastics using thermal extraction methods N2 - The presentation presents an overview about existing methods of microplastic detection with a special focus on thermo-analytical methods. T2 - Perkin Elmer Workshop Microplastics CY - Vienna, Austria DA - 11.01.2018 KW - Microplastics KW - TED-GC-MS KW - Analysis PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-43803 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Bannick, C. G. T1 - Sampling, sample preparation and detection of microplastics, current activities in the ISO/TC 61/SC14/WG 4 N2 - Presentation about the actual status of microplastic research in BAM and UBA, activities in Germany and ISO/TC61/SC14. T2 - Microplastic Methodes Workshop CY - London, UK DA - 23.05.2018 KW - Microplastics KW - TED-GC-MS KW - Analysis KW - Standardisation PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-45033 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Microplastics: Degradation properties of polymers in the environment N2 - The accumulation of plastics leaked into the environment achieve a high perception in the last years. It is uncontroversial that often an uncontrolled, high consumption of plastic products and a poor waste management resulted in plastic findings all over in the environment. However, less is known about the relevant pathways and fate of plastic in the environment. Especially plastic fragments smaller 5 mmm, so called microplastics, achieve a high attention, because their amount and risks arising from these fragments are still unknown. The basic mechanisms of plastic or more precise, of different polymer degradation processes are often not considered, resulting in unrealistic statements. For generation of fundamental understanding of this problem we developed in the last years a fast thermoanalytical method for identification and mass quantification of microplastics in complex samples. The presentation will also give a short introduction about polymer degradation. T2 - Environmental Geosciences Seminar CY - Vienna, Austria DA - 19.11.2018 KW - Microplastic KW - Analysis KW - Standardisation PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-47182 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Principles for the development of standards for investigation procedures of plastics in environmental media and materials N2 - An overview about the current status of microplastic analysis is given with scope on hamonisation and standarisation. T2 - Annual ISO/TC 61 Meeting CY - Saitama, Japan DA - 24.09.2018 KW - Standardisation KW - Microplastic KW - Analysis PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-46457 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bannick, Claus Gerhard A1 - Bierl, R. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Brand, K. A1 - Dümichen, Erik A1 - Jekel, M. A1 - Klein, S. A1 - Knepper, T.P. A1 - König, F. A1 - Miklos, D. A1 - Rechenberg, B. A1 - Steffens, I. T1 - Mikroplastik in der aquatischen Umwelt - Ein Beitrag zur aktuellen Diskussion in Deutschland N2 - Plastics are important materials in households and industry and therefore a crucial part of our everyday life. Since the beginning of the 1970s the occurrence of plastic particles in coastal waters has been explicitly described. Meanwhile, besides the marine environment, microplastics were also detected in other environmental media, biota and water management facilities. This work gives an overview of the occurrence and first known effects of microplastics in the environment. Furthermore, current scientific proceedings are considered and pending issues are discussed. In this regard it is of central importance to develop an environmentally comprehensive, harmonized scientific proceeding for miroplastics, which enables an evaluation of relevant material flows in adaption to necessary assessment concepts. N2 - Kunststoffe sind wichtige Werkstoffe und heutzutage aus Haushalt und Wirtschaft nicht mehr wegzudenken. Seit Anfang der 1970er-Jahre wird das Vorkommen von Kunststoffpartikeln in Küstengewässern beschrieben. Inzwischen ist Mikroplastik nicht nur im marinen Bereich, sondern auch in weiteren Umweltkompartimenten, Biota und technischen Einrichtungen der Wasserwirtschaft nachgewiesen worden, in dieser Arbeit wird ein Überblick über das Vorkommen von Mikroplastik in der aquatischen Umwelt und ersten bekannten Auswirkungen gegeben. Darüber hinaus werden die aktuellen Untersuchungsverfahren von Probenahme, Probenaufbereitung und Analytik betrachtet und offene fragen diskutiert. Zentral erscheint in diesem Zusammenhang die Entwicklung einer harmonisierten medienübergreifenden Untersuchungsmethodik, die eine Auswertung relevanter Stoffströme ermöglicht und auf notwendige Bewertungskonzepte abgestimmt ist. KW - Water management KW - Plastics KW - Microplastics KW - Environment KW - Analysis KW - Mikroplastik KW - Kunststoff KW - Wasserwirtschaft KW - Analytik KW - Umwelt PY - 2015 SN - 0083-6915 VL - 113 IS - 1 SP - 7 EP - 14 PB - Wiley-VCH Verl. CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-33105 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -