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Plastics are used in many applications, such as packaging, building and construction, mobility and transport and more. Due to their favourable properties like light weight, flexible processing and low costs their production and consequently their input into natural systems has increased significantly over the last decades. In the environment (photo )oxidation processes and mechanical abrasion lead to the decomposition of the plastics. During this process microplastics (<5 mm) can be formed. It has been shown that environmental pollutants can sorb to these microplastics.[1,2] Nevertheless, knowledge on this topic is still limited.
Our work aims at the investigation of the sorption behaviour of the triazole fungicide difenoconazole to simulated microplastics made of virgin polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS). Sorption experiments were planned based on a full factorial design with agitation, salinity, and pH value as parameters. The results of our study revealed that difenoconazole indeed, has sorbed to all microplastics tested here. Data analysis showed that agitation is the main influencing factor, whereas salinity and the pH value held little to no significance on the amount of sorbed difenoconazole.
To simulate the behaviour of naturally aged microplastics, sorption to cryo-milled PP and acid-treated PA was also studied. The thus treated samples were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC). FTIR spectroscopy did not show any changes in the chemical structure but GPC and DSC measurements indicated a systematic chain scission of the treated PA. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images illustrate that milling of the microplastics leads to non-spherical, star-shaped particles. This fact has a huge influence on the surface properties and consequently on the absorption.
The results of our study are important in terms of i) creating realistic sorption scenarios with relevant parameters for the sorption process, as well as for ii) the choice of proper materials to simulate naturally occurring microplastics. We could show that not only the characteristics of the material like particle size distribution or surface properties are important, but also the applied analytical technique which is used for the characterization of the material . Since there is no standard methodology for microplastic identification and quantification, we suggest to combine several methods to obtain a reliable overall characterization.
Long-term accumulation and fragmentation of plastic waste in ecosystems is currently a global subject of scientific and social concern. The combination of mechanical abrasion with degradation by UV radiation, and oxidation leads to the formation of small plastic particles (size less than 5 mm) which are not only distributed in oceanic and costal water, but also in sediments and terrestrial compartment. Since the contamination of the environment with plastic particles became emerging issue, an increasing trend towards investigating and controlling the MP pollution of the environment can be observed worldwide. Nonetheless, the reliable methodology that would facilitate and automate the monitoring of MP is still missing.
Aiming at the selection of practical and standardized methods we present here a critical comparison of two vibrational spectroscopies, Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and two extraction methods: thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TED-GC-MS) and liquid extraction with subsequent size exclusion chromatography (SEC) using a soil (reference material) with known contents of PE, PP, PS and PET. The results are compared in terms of the measurements time, technique handling, detection limits and requirement for sample preparation.
The comparison of Raman and FTIR spectra provides broader understanding of the polymeric origin of the analysed particles. Furthermore, at the level of individual particle, Raman imaging yields additional information on the stage of the polymer degradation and contamination on the surface. On the other hand, by applying the thermal and liquid extraction methods the fast and quantitative analysis of MP content is possible. Therefore, to establish reliable, standardized detection methods a combination of several parallel approaches should be considered.
Discussions in science, politics and public media about microplastic in the Environment and its unclear effects for animals and humans are common these days.
Although microplastic findings in water, soil and even air are well known, no general estimations about the quality or quantity of microplastic particles in environment exit. Research is necessary to develop reliable and traceable, harmonized protocols for sampling, sample preparation and fast, but accurate analysis for qualitative and quantitative measurement of microplastic in various environmental matrices. For development of such reliable and traceable methods, the use of microplastic reference materials is necessary to assess various concepts. These microplastic reference particles should be an appropriate reflection of the microplastic particles found in environment.
Due to the high use in industrial products six polymers seem to be relevant in environment as microplastic particles: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA) and polyvinylchloride (PVC). The raw source of These thermoplastic materials are pellets or granulate with dimensions of 1 to 5 mm in diameter. Most common they own a regular cylindrical shape or are prolate sphericals. These can be bought cost-efficient by various polymer producers. But discussions in microplastic research topic lead to particle sizes down to 1 μm. Furthermore, various unregular shapes and geometries of the particles have to be considered as well as an oxidized surface. In the present work we engage the acquisition and production of
realistic reference material. Different aspects should demonstrate the complex and difficult task of generating approriate, cost-efficient and well-defined reference materials. The particle size distribution by using
different particle sizing methods as well as individual particle shapes are documented. Different material properties were addressed. PE, PS and PA were chosen as typical and relevant microplastic with opposite individual material characteristics in density and glass Transition temperature. The easiest possibility for acquisition of small microplastic particles is the purchase of polymer emulsion particles (20 to 150 μm).
An alternative possibility to produce small microplastic particles is milling under liquid nitrogen conditions in cryo mills. Particles purchased or self-made differ strongly in shape and size depending on production method.
SETAC
An alternative spectroscopic approach for the monitoring of microplastics in environmental samples
(2017)
The increasing pollution of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems with plastic debris leads to the accumulation of microscopic plastic particles of still unknown fate. To monitor the degree of contamination and to understand the underlying processes of turnover, analytical methods are urgently needed, which help to identify and quantify microplastic (MP). Currently, costly collected and purified materials enriched on filters are investigated both by micro-infrared spectroscopy and micro-Raman. Although yielding precise results, these techniques are time consuming and restricted to sample aliquots in the order of micrograms precluding prompt and representative information on both, larger sample numbers and realistic material volumes. To overcome these problems, here we tested Raman and NIR process-spectroscopic methods in combination with multivariate data analysis.
For this purpose, artificial MP/soil mixture samples consisting of standard soils or sand with defined ratios of MP (0,5 – 10 mass% polymer) from polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene were prepared. MP particles with diameters < 2 mm and < 125 µm were obtained from industrial polymer pellets after cryomilling. Spectra of these mixtures were collected by (i) a process FT-NIR spectrometer equipped with a reflection probe, (ii) by a cw-process Raman spectrometer and (iii) by a time-gated Raman spectrometer using fiber optic probes. For the calibration of chemometric models (partial least squares regression, PLSR) 5 – 10 spectra of defined MP/soil mixtures (consisting of 1 – 4 g material each) were collected. The obtained PLSR models served for the prediction of both, polymer type and content based on the spectra of “unknown” test samples.
Whereas MP could be detected by Raman spectroscopy in coastal sand at 0.5 mass%, in standard soils detection of MP was limited to 10 – 5 mass%. The sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy could be improved by mild treatment with hydrogen peroxide. FT-NIR was suitable for the investigation of MP in standard soils in the range of 5 – 1 mass%, however, here a non-linear effect was observed at higher polymer concentrations. When mixtures of several polymers at low concentration levels were milled together, FT-NIR spectroscopy yielded false positive polymers together with unprecise quantitative information. Recently, the investigation of “real-world” samples shall be tested and compared to the results obtained by micro-FTIR and micro-Raman.
A process spectroscopic approach for the monitoring of microplastics in environmental samples
(2018)
The potential of Raman and NIR process-spectroscopic as a rapid approach for the estimation of microplastics (MP) in soil matrix were tested. For this purpose, artificial MP/soil mixture samples consisting of standard soils or sand with defined ratios of MP (0,5 – 10 mass% polymer) from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were prepared. MP particles with diameters < 2 mm and < 125 µm were obtained from industrial polymer pellets after cryo-milling. Spectra of these mixtures were collected by (i) a process FT-NIR spectrometer equipped with a reflection probe, (ii) by a cw-process Raman spectrometer and (iii) by a time-gated Raman spectrometer using fiber-optic probes. The evaluation of process-spectra was performed by chemometric methods. Whereas MP could be detected by Raman spectroscopy in coastal sand at 0.5 mass%, in standard soil detection of MP was limited to 10 – 5 mass% with the large fraction, but samples containing particles of the 125µm mass-fraction yielded no positive result at all. One reason for the lacking sensitivity could be fluorescence by soil organic matter and thus, in a next test time-gated Raman spectroscopy was applied. However, although being indeed more sensitive to the small particles this method failed at MP < 5 mass% indicating that fluorescence was not the major problem. Finally, FT-NIR was tested. Depending on the polymer, MP contents of 0,5 or 1 mass%, respectively, could be detected in standard soils and polymers identified. Furthermore, this approach could be used for the investigation of mixtures of up to four polymers and in real-world samples from bio-waste fermenter residues.