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 U6 - 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 - 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 -