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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Priscilla Carrillo-Barragan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. In this study, we investigate the current accuracy of widely used microplastic (MP) detection methods through an interlaboratory comparison (ILC) involving ISO-approved techniques. The ILC was organized under the prestandardization platform of VAMAS (Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards) and gathered a large number (84) of analytical laboratories across the globe. The aim of this ILC was (i) to test and to compare two thermo-analytical and three spectroscopical methods with respect to their suitability to identify and quantify microplastics in a water-soluble matrix and (ii) to test the suitability of the microplastic test materials to be used in ILCs. Two reference materials (RMs), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene (PE) as powders with rough size ranges between 10 and 200 μm, were used to press tablets for the ILC. The following parameters had to be assessed: polymer identity, mass fraction, particle number concentration, and particle size distribution. The reproducibility, SR, in thermo-analytical experiments ranged from 62%-117% (for PE) and 45.9%-62% (for PET). In spectroscopical experiments, the SR varied between 121% and 129% (for PE) and 64% and 70% (for PET). Tablet dissolution turned out to be a very challenging step and should be optimized. Based on the knowledge gained, development of guidance for improved tablet filtration is in progress. Further, in this study, we discuss the main sources of uncertainties that need to be considered and minimized for preparation of standardized protocols for future measurements with higher accuracy.
Author(s): Ciornii D, Hodoroaba V-D, Benismail N, Maltseva A, Ferrer JF, Wang J, Parra R, Jezequel R, Receveur J, Gabriel D, Scheitler A, van Oversteeg C, Roosma J, van Renesse van Duivenbode A, Bulters T, Zanella M, Perini A, Benetti F, Mehn D, Dierkes G, Soll M, Ishimura T, Bednarz M, Peng G, Hildebrandt L, Peters M, Kim S-K, Turk J, Steinfeld F, Jung J, Hong S, Kim E-J, Yu H-W, Klockmann S, Krafft C, Sussmann J, Zou S, ter Halle A, Giovannozzi AM, Sacco A, Fadda M, Putzu M, Im D-H, Nhlapo N, Carrillo-Barragan P, Schmidt N, Herzke D, Gomiero A, Jaen-Gil A, Cabanes DJE, Doedt M, Cardoso V, Schmitz A, Hawly M, Mo H, Jacquin J, Mechlinski A, Adediran GA, Andrade J, Muniategui-Lorenzo S, Ramsperger A, Loder MGJ, Laforsch C, Cirkovic Velickovic T, Fabbri D, Coralli I, Federici S, Scholz-Bottcher BM, la Nasa J, Biale G, Rauert C, Okoffo ED, Undas A, An L, Wachtendorf V, Fengler P, Altmann K
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Analytical Chemistry
Year: 2025
Volume: 97
Issue: 16
Pages: 8719-8728
Print publication date: 29/04/2025
Online publication date: 17/04/2025
Acceptance date: 08/04/2025
Date deposited: 14/05/2025
ISSN (print): 0003-2700
ISSN (electronic): 1520-6882
Publisher: American Chemical Society
URL: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c05403
DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c05403
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