TY - JOUR A1 - Wander, Lukas A1 - Lommel, Lukas A1 - Meyer, Klas A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Paul, Andrea T1 - Development of a low-cost method for quantifying microplastics in soils and compost using near-infrared spectroscopy N2 - Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a promising candidate for low-cost, nondestructive, and high-throughput mass quantification of micro¬plastics in environmental samples. Widespread application of the technique is currently hampered mainly by the low sensitivity of NIR spectroscopy compared to thermo-analytical approaches commonly used for this type of analysis. This study shows how the application of NIR spectroscopy for mass quantification of microplastics can be extended to smaller analyte levels by combining it with a simple and rapid microplastic enrichment protocol. For this purpose, the widely used flotation of microplastics in a NaCl solution, accelerated by centrifugation, was chosen which allowed to remove up to 99 % of the matrix at recovery rates of 83–104 %. The spectroscopic measurements took place directly on the stainless-steel filters used to collect the extracted particles to reduce sample handling to a minimum. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were used to identify and quantify the extracted microplastics in the mass range of 1–10 mg. The simple and fast extraction procedure was systematically optimized to meet the requirements for the quantification of microplastics from common PE-, PP-, and PS-based packaging materials with a particle size < 1 mm found in compost or soils with high natural organic matter content (> 10 % determined by loss on ignition). Microplastics could be detected in model samples at a mass fraction of 1 mg g-1. The detectable microplastic mass fraction is about an order of magnitude lower compared to previous studies using NIR spectroscopy without additional enrichment. To emphasize the cost-effectiveness of the method, it was implemented using some of the cheapest and most compact NIR spectrometers available. KW - NIR KW - Soil KW - compost KW - PLSR PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-546405 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6501/ac5e5f SN - 0957-0233 VL - 33 IS - 7 SP - 075801 EP - 075814 PB - IOP Publishing Ltd. CY - UK AN - OPUS4-54640 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kittner, Maria A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Dittmann, Daniel A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Decomposability versus detectability: First validation of TED‐GC/MS for microplastic detection in different environmental matrices N2 - A fast method for microplastic detection is thermal extraction desorption‐gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TED‐GC/MS), which uses polymer‐specific thermal decomposition products as marker compounds to determine polymer mass contents in environmental samples. So far, matrix impacts of different environmental matrices on TED‐GC/MS performance had not yet been assessed systematically. Therefore, three solid freshwater matrices representing different aquatic bodies with varying organic matter contents were spiked with a total of eight polymers. Additionally, for the first time, the two biodegradable polymers polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and polylactide (PLA) were analysed using TED‐GC/MS. The methodological focus of this work was on detectability, quality of signal formation as well as realisation of quantification procedures and determination of the limit of detection (LOD) values. Overall, TED‐GC/MS allowed the unambiguous detection of the environmentally most relevant polymers analysed, even at low mass contents: 0.02 wt% for polystyrene (PS), 0.04 wt% for the tyre component styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) and 0.2 wt% for polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) and PBAT. Further, all obtained LOD values were increased in all matrices compared to the neat polymer without matrix. The LOD of the standard polymers were increased similarly (PS: 0.21–0.34 μg, SBR: 0.27–0.38 μg, PP: 0.32–0.36 μg, PMMA: 0.64–1.30 μg, PET: 0.90–1.37 μg, PE: 3.80–6.99 μg) and their decompositions by radical scission processes were not significantly influenced by the matrices. In contrast, matrixspecific LOD increases of both biodegradable polymers PBAT (LOD: 1.41–7.18 μg) and PLA (0.84–20.46 μg) were observed, probably due to their hetero‐functional character and interactions with the matrices. In conclusion, the TED‐GC/MS performance is not solely determined by the type of the polymers but also by the composition of the matrix. KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Microplastic KW - Freshwater matrices KW - Gas chromatography KW - Mass spectrometry PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/appl.202200089 SN - 2702-4288 VL - 2 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-57419 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Kittner, Maria A1 - Dümichen, Erik A1 - Thaxton, K. A1 - Kleine-Benne, E. A1 - Anumol, T. T1 - Accelerated Determination of Microplastics in Environmental Samples Using Thermal Extraction Desorption-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (TED-GC/MS) N2 - There is growing interest in quantifying microplastics in environmental samples. This application note presents a thermal extraction desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TED-GC/MS) method that is well suited to automation and increased sample throughput. The method is also able to detect all particle sizes in the sample as long as the limit of detection (LOD) is reached and allows analysis of larger samples of 15 to 25 mg or more. Samples were decomposed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the gaseous decomposition products were trapped on a solid-phase sorbent, followed by thermal desorption‑gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) using an Agilent 5977B GC/MSD coupled to an Agilent 7890B GC. Target microplastic particle (MP) polymers were identified in environmental samples including surface water, finished compost, house dust, and drinking water. Quantification of MP polymers in environmental samples provided LODs of 0.06 to 2.2 μg, allowing the detection of MPs in trace amounts with sample weights of up to 1 g. Method repeatability was adequate for reliable quantification with RSDs of approximately 6 to 12%. KW - Environment KW - Microplastic particles KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Mass content KW - Thermoanalytical PY - 2020 VL - 2020 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Agilent Technologies Inc. CY - USA AN - OPUS4-51672 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Bannick, C.-G. A1 - Bednarz, M. A1 - Herper, D. A1 - Knefel, M. T1 - TED-GC/MS: Schnelle Bestimmung von Mikroplastik-Massegehalten in verschiedenen Proben N2 - Zur Ermittlung von Mikroplastik-Gehalten in verschiedenen Umweltmatrices ist ein schnelles Detektionsverfahren für die Routineanalytik notwendig. Ein solches Verfahren wird hier in Form der ThermoExtraktion/Desorption-GasChromatographie/ MassenSpektroskopie (TED-GC/MS) vorgestellt. Neben grundlegenden verfahrensspezifischen Erläuterungen zur Identifizierung und Quantifizierung von Mikroplastik werden auch exemplarische Beispiele aus unterschiedlichen Umweltkompartimenten und Produkten dargestellt. Neu vorgestellt wird ein neues Verfahren zur Analytik von Flaschenwasser. Dazu wurde ein Messfiltertiegel entwickelt, der besonders für Proben mit geringen Gehalten an abfiltrierbaren Stoffen geeignet ist KW - Mikroplasik KW - Mikroplastik-Analyse KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Thermoanalytische Verfahren KW - Mikroplastik-Massengehalte PY - 2020 VL - 2020 IS - 02 SP - 55 EP - 57 PB - Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh) CY - Frankfurt am Main AN - OPUS4-50835 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Bannick, C.G. A1 - Szewzyk, R. A1 - Ricking, M. A1 - Schniegler, S. A1 - Obermaier, N. A1 - Barthel, A. K. A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Eisentraut, Paul T1 - Development and testing of a fractionated filtration for sampling of microplastics in water N2 - A harmonization of sampling, sample preparation and detection is pivotal in order to obtain comparable data on microplastics (MP) in the environment. This paper develops and proposes a suitable sampling concept for waterbodies that considers different plastic specific properties and influencing factors in the environment. Both artificial water including defined MP fractions and the discharge of a wastewater treatment plant were used to verify the derived sampling procedure, sample preparation and the subsequent analysis of MP using thermal extraction-desorption gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (TED-GC-MS). A major finding of this paper is that an application of various particle size classes greatly improves the practical handling of the sampling equipment. Size classes also enable the TED-GC-MS to provide any data on the MP size distribution, a substantial sampling property affecting both the necessary sampling volume and the optimal sampling depth. In the artificial water with defined MP fractions, the recovery rates ranged from 80 to 110%, depending on the different MP types and MP size classes. In the treated wastewater, we found both Polyethylene and polystyrene in different size classes and quantities. KW - Microplastics KW - Sampling KW - Sampling techniques KW - Water PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.10.045 SN - 0043-1354 VL - 149 SP - 650 EP - 658 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-47200 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wander, Lukas A1 - Lommel, Lukas A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Meyer, Klas A1 - Paul, Andrea T1 - Development of a Low-Cost Method for Quantifying Microplastics in Soils and Compost Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy N2 - Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a promising candidate for low-cost, nondestructive, and highthroughput mass quantification of microplastics in environmental samples. Widespread application of the technique is currently hampered mainly by the low sensitivity of NIR spectroscopy compared to thermoanalytical approaches commonly used for this type of analysis. This study shows how the application of NIR spectroscopy for mass quantification of microplastics can be extended to smaller analyte levels by combining it with a simple and rapid microplastic enrichment protocol. For this purpose, the widely used flotation of microplastics in a NaCl solution, accelerated by centrifugation, was chosen which allowed to remove up to 99 % of the matrix at recovery rates of 83–104 %. The spectroscopic measurements took place directly on the stainless-steel filters used to collect the extracted particles to reduce sample handling to a minimum. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were used to identify and quantify the extracted microplastics in the mass range of 1–10 mg. The simple and fast extraction procedure was systematically optimized to meet the requirements for the quantification of microplastics from common PE-, PP-, and PS-based packaging materials with a particle size < 1 mm found in compost or soils with high natural organic matter content (> 10 % determined by loss on ignition). Microplastics could be detected in model samples at a mass fraction of 1 mg g-1. The detectable microplastic mass fraction is about an order of magnitude lower compared to previous studies using NIR spectroscopy without additional enrichment. To emphasize the cost-effectiveness of the method, it was implemented using some of the cheapest and most compact NIR spectrometers available. KW - Mikroplastik KW - NIR KW - Sensor KW - Kompost KW - Multivariat PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-552605 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6501/ac5e5f VL - 33 IS - 7 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - IOP Publishing Ltd. CY - Bristol AN - OPUS4-55260 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eitzen, L. A1 - Paul, S. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Jekel, M. A1 - Ruhl, A. T1 - The challenge in preparing particle suspensions for aquatic microplastic research N2 - The occurrence of small particles consisting of organic polymers, so-called microplastic (MP), in aquatic Environments attracts increasing interest in both public and science. Recent sampling campaigns in surface Waters revealed substantial numbers of particles in the size range from a few micrometers to a few millimeters. In order to validate sample preparation, identification and quantification and to investigate the behavior of MP particles and potential toxic effects on organisms, defined MP model particles are needed. Many studies use spherical compounds that probably behave differently compared to irregularly shaped MP found in environmental samples. However, preparation and handling of MP particles are challenging tasks and have been systematically investigated in the present study. Polystyrene (PS) as a commonly found polymer with a density slightly above that of water was selected as polymer type for milling and fractionation studies. A cryogenic ball mill proved to be practical and effective to produce particles in the size range from 1 to 200 μm. The yield of small particles increased with increasing pre-cooling and milling durations. Depending on the concentration and the size, PS particles do not completely disperse in water and particles partly creep vertically up along glass walls. Stabilized MP suspensions without use of surfactants that might harm organisms are needed for toxicological studies. The stabilization of PS particle suspensions with ozone treatment reduced the wall effect and increased the number of dispersed PS particles but increased the dissolved organic carbon concentration and changed the size Distribution of the particles. KW - Reference material KW - Microplastic PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.09.008 SN - 0013-9351 SN - 1096-0953 VL - 168 SP - 490 EP - 495 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-46462 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Ricking, M. A1 - Reiche, M. A1 - Barthel, A.-K. A1 - Bannick, C. G. T1 - New sampling strategies for optimised microplastic analysis in surface waters N2 - The occurrence of microplastic particles (MP) in nearly each environmental compartment but especially in water is well documented in an increasing amount of publication within the last few years. However, a comprehensive understanding of MP occurrence, sources and pathways in the environment as well as effects of MP on the environment is still unclear. Many of the studies are not compatible, because they used different sampling, sample preparation and detection techniques, resulting in a very broad variation and very different dimension of archived results. Hence a useful avoiding strategy for reduction the MP entry in the environment is not possible. Furthermore, the existing methods are often very time consuming, need user knowledge and labour force, which is often not acceptable for the routine monitoring of an action or sanction. The call for harmonised methods become loud and louder and promising efforts are done in this area. However, the scientific discussion is often focus on advantages and disadvantages of detection tools and sample preparation, less initiative is given to the sampling strategy. That is a pity, because every environmental scientist knows, a good analytical result depend on a good sampling strategy. The sampling of water seems on the first view easy because the sampling process include already an up concentration of the MP by means of sieves and filters. However, this filtering of water is often limited by filter cake on the sieves, consisting of high amount of natural particular matter. Hence often a small water volume is filtered, which will not own a representative amount of trait carriers or complex sieves cascades are used, which need a high technical equipment. Recently we presented a fast thermoanalytical method for the detection of polymers fractions in water samples. This method, thermo-extraction desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TED-GC-MS) can analyse MP in water filtrates without sample preparations within 2-3 hours. Advantageous is the additional analysis of rubber particles from tires beside the MP. In order to come even faster we now start to develop new sampling strategies, which should be use for different water systems. It is intended to reduce the effort in the field and to elongate times for sampling to obtain a representatives result without random effects. In the present presentation we will show first result using a sedimentation box for sampling of MP from surface water. Advantages and disadvantages will be discussed and comparison to data from conventional fractionated filtration will be given. T2 - SETAC CY - Helsinki, Finland DA - 26.05.2019 KW - Microplastics KW - Sampling KW - Sampling techniques KW - Water PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-48118 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Herper, D. A1 - Knefel, M. A1 - Bednarz, M. A1 - Bannick, C. G. T1 - Detektion von Mikroplastik in Flaschenwasser mittels thermoanalytischer Verfahren N2 - Im Vortrag wird ein Messfiltertiegel als Zusatztool für die TED-GC/MS vorgestellt, welcher für die Probenaufbereitung von kleinen Partikelfrachten oder kleinen Partikelgrößen genutzt werden kann. Er ist Filtereinheit und Messtiegel in einem, wodurch Verluste bei der Überführung der Probe in das Messgefäß sowie Kontaminationen vermindert werden. Das beispiel ist hier die Filtration von Flaschenwasser mit anschließender Detektion mit der TED-GC/MS. T2 - BVL_Kick-off Meeting "Mikroplastik in Lebensmitteln" CY - Online meeting DA - 03.12.2020 KW - Mikroplastik KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Kleine Partikel KW - Geringe Partikelfrachten KW - Mikroplastik-Massengehalte PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51794 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Fire Retardancy Mechanisms of Red Phosphorus in Thermoplastics N2 - The thermal decomposition and the fire behavior of glass fiber reinforced polyamide 66 (PA-66) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) containing red phosphorus (P4) were investigated. For glass fiber reinforced PA-66, P4 promotes char formation in the condensed phase. Barrier effects and the reduction of combustible volatiles were identified as fire retardancy mechanisms. For HIPS, P4 acts in the gas phase, mainly trapping radicals. The heat release per mass loss polymer is reduced due to an incomplete combustion. T2 - 12th International Conference Additives 2003 CY - San Francisco, CA, USA DA - 2003-04-06 PY - 2003 UR - http://www.executive-conference.com/conferences/archives/abstracts2003/add03_abs5b.html SP - 1(?) EP - 10(?) PB - ECM CY - Plymouth, Mich. AN - OPUS4-2502 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Interaction of Red Phosphorus, Melanine Polyphosphate and Magnesium Hydroxide as Fire Retardant in HIPS T2 - 9th European Meeting on Fire Retardancy and Protection of Materials, FRPM '03 CY - Lille, France DA - 2003-09-17 PY - 2003 AN - OPUS4-4028 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Fire Retardancy Mechanisms of Red Phosphorus in Thermoplastics T2 - Additives 2003 - 12th Annual Conference on Additives and Modifiers CY - San Francisco, CA, USA DA - 2003-04-06 PY - 2003 AN - OPUS4-4010 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Fire Retardancy Mechanisms of Phosphorus in Thermoplastics KW - Fire retardancy KW - Red Phosphorus KW - Cone Calorimeter KW - TG-FTIR KW - TG-MS KW - HIPS KW - PBT KW - PA 66 PY - 2004 SN - 0743-0515 VL - 91 SP - 152 EP - 153 PB - Division of Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering, American Chemical Society CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-3971 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Red phosphorus as Flame Retardant in Thermoplastics T2 - BASF AG CY - Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany DA - 2003-09-11 PY - 2003 AN - OPUS4-4027 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Kunze, Ralf A1 - Neubert, Dietmar A1 - Braun, Ulrike ED - Lewin, M. T1 - Mechanistic Studies on PA-66 Fire Retarded with Red Phosphorus T2 - 13th Conference on Recent Advances in Flame Retardancy of Polymeric Materials ; 13th Annual BCC Conference on Flame Retardancy CY - Stamford, CT, USA DA - 2002-06-03 PY - 2002 SN - 1-569-65890-0 VL - 13 SP - 93 EP - 103 PB - BCC CY - Norwalk, Conn. AN - OPUS4-1562 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Schwarz, U. A1 - Reinemann, S. T1 - Fire Retardancy of Polypropylene/Flax Blends N2 - A comprehensive characterization of the thermal and the fire behaviour is presented for polypropylene (PP) flax compounds containing ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and expandable graphite as fire retardants. Thermogravimetry coupled with an evolved gas analysis (TG-FTIR) was performed to ensure a significant thermal analysis. The fire response under forced flaming conditions was studied using a cone calorimeter. The external heat flux was varied between 30 and 70 kW m-2 so that the results could be evaluated for different fire scenarios and tests. Different flammability tests (UL 94, limiting oxygen index, glow wire test, GMI 60261) were performed and the results compared with the cone calorimeter data. The different char forming mechanisms are described and the resulting fire retardancy is classified. The successful and ecological friendly fire retardancy is a technological breakthrough for PP/flax biocomposites. KW - Biosomposites KW - Flame retardancy KW - Flax PY - 2003 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/S0032-3861(03)00692-X SN - 0032-3861 SN - 1873-2291 VL - 44 IS - 20 SP - 6241 EP - 6250 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-2640 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Schwarz, U. A1 - Reinemann, S. ED - Lewin, M. T1 - Fire Retarded Polypropylene/Flax Biocomposites T2 - 14th Conference on Recent Advances in Flame Retardancy of Polymeric Materials ; 14th Annual BCC Conference on Flame Retardancy CY - Stamford, CT, USA DA - 2003-06-02 KW - Fire retardancy KW - PP/Flax Biocomposite KW - Expandable Graphite KW - Ammonium Polyphosphate KW - TG-FTIR KW - Cone Calorimeter PY - 2003 SN - 1-569-65930-3 VL - 14 SP - 219 EP - 228 PB - BCC CY - Norwalk, Conn. AN - OPUS4-2815 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Residue, Charring and Intumescence N2 - The exploration of condensed phase mechanisms such as charring and intumescence has been pushed forward in the last decades, since it is believed that focusing on these concepts will bring materials closer to an efficient and ecologically friendly fire retardancy. They promise to concentrate efficient fire retardancy at the key position between pyrolysis zone and gas phase. Examples of residue/char forming and intumescent materials are used to illustrate the influence of mass and heat barrier effects on the fire behavior of materials and general results are presented. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms and structure-property relationships in fire retardancy is presented. KW - Fire retardancy KW - Nanocomposites KW - Red Phosphorus KW - Intumescence KW - Cone Calorimeter PY - 2006 SN - 1-59623-221-8 VL - XV SP - 15 EP - 21 PB - BCC Research CY - Norwalk, Conn. AN - OPUS4-4068 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Sommerfeld, Thomas A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Quantification of microplastics in a freshwater suspended organic matter using different thermoanalytical methods – outcome of an interlaboratory comparison N2 - A sedimented freshwater suspended organic matter fortified with particles of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was employed in an interlaboratory comparison of thermoanalytical methods for microplastics identification and quantification. Three laboratories performed pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS), three others provided results using thermal extraction desorption followed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (TED-GC-MS). One participant performed thermogravimetry-infrared spectroscopy (TGA-FTIR) and two participants used thermogravimetry coupled to mass spectrometry (TGA-MS). Further participants used differential scanning microscopy (DSC), a procedure based on micro combustion calorimetry (MCC) and a procedure based on elemental analysis. Each participant employed a different combination of sample treatment, calibration and instrumental Settings for polymer identification and quantification. Though there is obviously room for improvements regarding the between-laboratory reproducibility and the harmonization of procedures it was seen that the participants Performing Py-GC-MS, TED-GC-MS, and TGA-FTIR were able to correctly identify all polymers and to report reasonable quantification results in the investigated concentration range (PE: 20.0 μg/mg, PP: 5.70 μg/mg; PS: 2.20 μg/mg, PET: 18.0 μg/mg). Although for the other methods limitations exists regarding the detection of specific polymers, they showed potential as alternative approaches for polymer quantification in solid environmental matrices. KW - Interlaboratory comparison KW - Microplastics KW - Suspended organic matter KW - Pyrolysis PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2020.104829 VL - 148 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-50977 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Goedecke, Caroline A1 - Dittmann, Daniel A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Wiesner, Yosri A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Klack, Patrick A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Evaluation of thermoanalytical methods equipped with evolved gas analysis for the detection of microplastic in environmental samples N2 - Microplastic particles are currently detected in almost all environmental compartments. The results of detection vary widely, as a multitude of very different methods are used with very different requirements for analytical validity. In this work four thermoanalytical methods are compared and their advantages and limitations are discussed. One of them is thermal extraction-desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TED-GC/MS), an analysis method for microplastic detection that has become established in recent years. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA-FTIR) and mass spectrometry (TGA-MS) were applied, two methods that are less common in this field but are still used in other research areas. Finally, microscale combustion calorimeter (MCC) was applied, a method not yet used for microplastic detection. The presented results are taken from a recently published interlaboratory comparison test by Becker et al. (2020). Here a reference material consisting of suspended matter and specified added polymer masses was examined, and only the results of the recoveries were presented. In the present paper, however, the results for the individual polymers are discussed in detail and individual perspectives for all instruments are shown. It was found that TED-GC/MS is the most suitable method for samples with unknown matrix and unknown, variable kinds and contents of microplastic. TGA-FTIR is a robust method for samples with known matrix and with defined kinds of microplastic. TGA-MS may offer a solution for the detection of PVC particles in the future. MCC can be used as a very fast and simple screening method for the identification of a potential microplastic load of standard polymers in unknown samples. KW - Microplastic KW - TED-GC/MS KW - TGA-MS KW - TGA-FTIR KW - MCC KW - Thermal analysis PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-516687 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2020.104961 VL - 152 SP - 104961 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-51668 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -