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Analytical Methods for Microplastics in Environments: Current Advances and Challenges

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Microplastics in Terrestrial Environments

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 95))

Abstract

Numerous studies have shown the presence of microplastics (MPs) in the environment. As an emerging global contaminant, the concentrations of MPs need to be evaluated, to assess its impacts on ecosystems and humans. This chapter reviews the development of analytical approaches from sample collection to MP characterization and quantification. This chapter contains a critical overview and a comparative assessment of sampling and sample preparation procedures for water, soil, sediment, biological, and atmosphere samples. We discuss sample preparation techniques such as flotation, filtration, digestion of organic matter, and analytical techniques such as morphological and physical classification, identification, and quantification of MPs. Furthermore, we address the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques, compare MP assay methods for different environment matrices, and discuss the challenges in the establishment of standard methods. In future research, it will be important to develop efficient assay protocol, such as basing on fully or semiautomated analysis, and to improve the accuracy of identification and quantification for MPs, especially nanoplastics.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the National Science and Technology Major Project for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (No. 2018ZX07208008) and the National Key Research and Development of China (No. 2018YFC1901004 and No. 2016YFC1402204).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

    Menting Liu, Shibo Lu, Yingxin Chen, Chengjin Cao & Defu He

  2. Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Moritz Bigalke

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  1. Menting Liu
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  2. Shibo Lu
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Correspondence to Defu He .

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  1. School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

    Defu He

  2. Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China

    Yongming Luo

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Liu, M., Lu, S., Chen, Y., Cao, C., Bigalke, M., He, D. (2020). Analytical Methods for Microplastics in Environments: Current Advances and Challenges. In: He, D., Luo, Y. (eds) Microplastics in Terrestrial Environments. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 95. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2019_436

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