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Lost, but found with Nile red ; a novel method to detect and quantify small microplastics (20 µm–1 mm) in environmental samples
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Erni-Cassola, Gabriel, Gibson, Matthew I., Thompson, Richard C. and Christie-Oleza, Joseph Alexander (2017) Lost, but found with Nile red ; a novel method to detect and quantify small microplastics (20 µm–1 mm) in environmental samples. Environmental Science & Technology, 51 (23). pp. 13641-13648. doi:10.1021/acs.est.7b04512 ISSN 0013-936X.
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WRAP-lost-found-novel-method-detect-Gibson-2017.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (1037Kb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b04512
Abstract
Marine plastic debris is a global environmental problem. Surveys have shown that plastic particles <5 mm in size, known as microplastics, are significantly more abundant in surface seawater and on shorelines than larger plastic particles. Nevertheless, quantification of microplastics in the environment is hampered by a lack of adequate high throughput methods to distinguish and quantify smaller size fractions (<1 mm), and this has probably resulted in an underestimation of actual microplastic concentrations. Here we present a protocol that allows high throughput detection and automated quantification of small microplastic particles (20–1000 µm) using the dye Nile red, fluorescence microscopy and image analysis software. This protocol has proven highly effective in the quantification of small polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and nylon 6 particles, which frequently occur in the water column. Our preliminary results from sea surface tows show a power-law increase of small microplastics (i.e. <1 mm) with decreasing particle size. Hence, our data helps to resolve speculation on the ‘apparent’ loss of this fraction from surface waters. We consider that this method presents a step change in the ability to detect small microplastics by substituting the subjectivity of human visual sorting with a sensitive and semi-automated procedure.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||||||
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| Subjects: | T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering | ||||||||||||
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Chemistry | ||||||||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Microplastics, Plastic marine debris | ||||||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Environmental Science & Technology | ||||||||||||
| Publisher: | American Chemical Society | ||||||||||||
| ISSN: | 0013-936X | ||||||||||||
| Official Date: | 5 December 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 51 | ||||||||||||
| Number: | 23 | ||||||||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 13641-13648 | ||||||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.est.7b04512 | ||||||||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||||||||
| Date of first compliant deposit: | 14 November 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Date of first compliant Open Access: | 7 November 2018 | ||||||||||||
| RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
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