Reevaluation of microplastics identification based on Neuston net survey data

[摘要] To verify data accuracy regarding microplastics (MPs), the effects of chemical preprocessing and optical identification with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were examined using survey data. We aimed to clarify the cause of overestimation of the number concentration of MPs without FTIR by focusing on shape types. The proportion of fragments (foam) decreased (increased) after FTIR analysis. Although significant difference was found in terms of the size distribution of fragments (after FTIR 1000 mu m, were removed using the FTIR technique. Although previous studies recommended the use of data on MPs measuring 1000 mu m, this threshold should be applied only to fragments and not to foam.

[发布日期] 2021-10-01

[关键词] Microplastics;Quantification;Protocol;FTIR