Sample preparation plays a pivotal role in simplifying and expediting microplastic determination and helps reducing the overall analysis time.
The increasing use of plastics in our daily lives and in manufacturing processes often culminates in a slow degradation of the materials and the subsequent contamination of our environment and food chain.
Scientists define microplastics as plastic fragments less than 5 mm, or about 0.2 inches, in diameter. Nanoplastics are even smaller, with diameters less than 0.001 mm.
Recent studies demonstrated that the human ingestion of MPs is about 120 thousand particles annually, which comes from water, food or even air1. Research in wildlife and animal models has linked micro- and nanoplastic exposure to infertility, inflammation and cancer, but health outcomes in people are currently under assessment, with effects mainly associated with the blockage of the digestive tract.
While regulators are trying to understand the extent and toxicity of the problem, researchers and analytical methods bodies are working towards standardized analytical solutions to best characterize these particles.
In the following white paper, we will present two new methods for microplastic determinations that aim to simplify and expedite this type of analysis. Featuring scientific publications by two experts in the field, prof. Cezar A Bizzi of University of Santa Maria, and prof. Jacopo La Nasa, of the University of Pisa, this paper will underline how the use of microwave technology has been applied to microplastic determinations by two different analytical techniques.
1- DETERMINATION OF MICROPLASTIC CONTENT IN SEAFOOD: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH COMBINED WITH THE DETERMINATION OF ELEMENTAL CONTAMINANTS
Science of the Total Environment 749 (2020) 142301 “Determination of microplastic content in seafood: An integrated approach combined with the determination of elemental contaminants” Gustavo R. Bitencourt, Paola A. Mello, Erico M.M. Flores, Camillo Pirola, Diego Carnaroglio, Cezar A. Bizzi
2- MICROWAVE-ASSISTED SOLVENT EXTRACTION & DOUBLE-SHOT ANALYTICAL PYROLYSIS FOR THE QUALI-QUANTITATION OF PLASTICIZERS AND MICROPLASTICS IN BEACH SAND SAMPLES
Journal of Hazardous Materials 401 (2021) 123287 “Microwave-assisted solvent extraction and double-shot analytical pyrolysis for the quali-quantitation of plasticizers and microplastics in beach sand samples” Jacopo La Nasa, Greta Biale, Marco Mattonai, Francesca Modugno
