Abstract
While microplastic analysis in aquatic systems is rather well standardized, the determination of microplastics in terrestrial samples has been less explored. Here, we review methods for microplastic analysis, with focus on sampling location and design, soil quantity, sampling depth and equipment, and sample handling and preservation. We found that the random sampling design can be used to collect a representative sample. Stainless steel shovels or soil augers were the most common tools for collecting topsoil, from 0 to 30 cm. Deep soil samples, of more than 100 cm depth, can only be obtained using a core drill. The number of soil samples collected in the field depends on the available budget and instruments for microplastic analysis. For example, if a micro-Fourier transform infrared microscope is used for analysis, soil samples as small as 15.0 g per point can be collected. Once the soils are collected, they can be stored in non-plastic containers, e.g., aluminum bags, to reduce contamination.
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This work was supported by Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI) through Measurement and Risk assessment Program for Management of Microplastics Program, funded by Korea Ministry of Environment (MOE) (2020003110010) and this research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (No.2019R1A6A1A03033167). This work was supported by the Kangwon National University Postdoctoral Position funded project (No. C10152280120210402). ARS wants to acknowledge MCIN/AEI/UVigo for their JdCi contract (IJC 2020–044197-I) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. ARS would also like to thank the Xunta de Galicia (ED431C 2021/46-GRC) and FCT/CIIMAR (UIDB/04423/2020, UIDP/04423/2020, LA/P/0101/2020, CEECIND/03794/2017) for current and previous support to carry out this paper. This article is based upon work from COST Action CA20101 Plastics monitoRIng detectiOn RemedIaTion recoverY—PRIORITY (www.ca-priority.eu), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) (www.cost.eu).
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RWC contributed to writing of original draft, conceptualization, interpretation of selected papers, formal analysis, validation, writing—review, and editing of subsequent drafts and investigation. J-YL contributed to supervision, resources, review and editing, and funding acquisition. JC drew figures and commented on preceding versions of the manuscript. ARS contributed to writing—review, and editing of subsequent drafts and investigation.
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Chia, R.W., Lee, JY., Cha, J. et al. Methods of soil sampling for microplastic analysis: a review. Environ Chem Lett 22, 227–238 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-023-01652-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-023-01652-9