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Optimization, performance, and application of a pyrolysis-GC/MS method for the identification of microplastics
- Source :
- Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2018, 410 (25), pp.6663-6676. ⟨10.1007/s00216-018-1279-0⟩, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Springer Verlag, 2018, 410 (25), pp.6663-6676. ⟨10.1007/s00216-018-1279-0⟩, Analytical And Bioanalytical Chemistry (1618-2642) (Springer Heidelberg), 2018-10, Vol. 410, N. 25, P. 6663-6676
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2018.
-
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.
- 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
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 16182650 and 16182642
- Volume :
- 410
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....38357ecbaca0dc56fb9e344318769837