1. Optimization, performance, and application of a pyrolysis-GC/MS method for the identification of microplastics
- Author
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Ludovic Hermabessiere, Alexandre Dehaut, Anne-Laure Cassone, Rachid Amara, Michel Laurentie, Ika Paul-Pont, Philippe Soudant, Charlotte Himber, Béatrice Boricaud, Maria Kazour, Guillaume Duflos, Laboratoire de sécurité des aliments de Maisons-Alfort (LSAl), Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES), Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences (LOG) - UMR 8187 (LOG), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale (ULCO)-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Nord]), Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin (LEMAR) (LEMAR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Fougères - ANSES, Région Hauts-de-France, Anses, ANR, CPER 2014-2020 MARCO, ANR NANOPLASTICS (ANR-15-CE34-0006), ANR-15-CE34-0006,Nanoplastics,Microplastiques, nanoplastiques dans l'environnement marin: caractérisation, impacts et évaluation des risques sanitaires.(2015), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale (ULCO)-Université de Lille-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
marine litter ,Microplastics ,Materials science ,analysis ,analyse ,Method ,010501 environmental sciences ,Mass spectrometry ,01 natural sciences ,Biochemistry ,Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ,gas chromatography/mass spectrometry ,Analytical Chemistry ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,plastic ,Environmental samples ,Limit of Detection ,[CHIM.ANAL]Chemical Sciences/Analytical chemistry ,14. Life underwater ,microplastique ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Detection limit ,Gas chromatography ,Chromatography ,ACL ,plastique ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Polymer ,Repeatability ,Py-GC/MS ,pyrolysis ,chromatographie gazeuse/spectrométrie de masse ,0104 chemical sciences ,pyrolyse ,chemistry ,13. Climate action ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,Polystyrene ,[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry ,Plastics ,microplastic ,Pyrolysis ,Water Pollutants, Chemical ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
International audience; Plastics are found to be major debris composing marine litter; microplastics (MP, < 5 mm) are found in all marine compartments. The amount of MPs tends to increase with decreasing size leading to a potential misidentification when only visual identification is performed. These last years, pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) has been used to get information on the composition of polymers with some applications on MP identification. The purpose of this work was to optimize and then validate a Py-GC/MS method, determine limit of detection (LOD) for eight common polymers, and apply this method on environmental MP. Optimization on multiple GC parameters was carried out using polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) microspheres. The optimized Py-GC/MS method require a pyrolysis temperature of 700 °C, a split ratio of 5 and 300 °C as injector temperature. Performance assessment was accomplished by performing repeatability and intermediate precision tests and calculating limit of detection (LOD) for common polymers. LODs were all below 1 μg. For performance assessment, identification remains accurate despite a decrease in signal over time. A comparison between identifications performed with Raman micro spectroscopy and with Py-GC/MS was assessed. Finally, the optimized method was applied to environmental samples, including plastics isolated from sea water surface, beach sediments, and organisms collected in the marine environment. The present method is complementary to μ-Raman spectroscopy as Py-GC/MS identified pigment containing particles as plastic. Moreover, some fibers and all particles from sediment and sea surface were identified as plastic.
- Published
- 2018