TY - JOUR A1 - Wiesner, Yosri A1 - Hoffmann, Thomas A1 - Range, David A1 - Altmann, Korinna T1 - Microplastics in sediments of the river Rhine—A workflow for preparation and analysis of sediment samples from aquatic river systems for monitoring purposes JF - Applied Research N2 - AbstractMicroplastics (MP) can be detected in all environmental systems. Marine and terrestrial aquatic systems, especially the transported suspended solids, have often been the focus of scientific investigations in the past. Sediments of aquatic river systems, on the other hand, were often ignored due to the time‐consuming sample preparation and analysis procedures. Spectroscopic measurement methods counting particle numbers are hardly suitable as detection methods, because there are plenty of natural particles next to a small number of MP particles. Integral methods, such as thermoanalytical methods are determining the particle mass independently of the inorganic components.In this study, a workflow for sample preparation via density separation and subsequent analysis by thermal extraction desorption‐gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is presented, which leads to representative and homogeneous samples and allows fast and robust MP mass content measurements suitable for routine analysis. Polymers were identified and quantified in all samples. Polyethylene and styrene‐butadiene rubber are the dominant polymers, besides polypropylene and polystyrene. Overall, total polymer masses between 1.18 and 337.0 µg/g could be determined. Highest MP concentrations in riverbed sediment are found in sites characterized by low flow velocities in harbors and reservoirs, while MP concentrations in sandy/gravelly bed sediments with higher flow velocities are small. KW - Microplastics KW - Density separation KW - TED-GC/MS KW - NaI PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-597335 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/appl.202200125 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-59733 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -