Novel methodology to isolate microplastics from vegetal-rich samples

[EN] Microplastics are small plastic particles, globally distributed throughout the oceans. To properly study them, all the methodologies for their sampling, extraction, and measurement should be standardized. For heterogeneous samples containing sediments, animal tissues and zooplankton, several procedures have been described. However, definitive methodologies for samples, rich in algae and plant material, have not yet been developed. The aim of this study was to find the best extraction protocol for vegetal-rich samples by comparing the efficacies of five previously described digestion methods, and a novel density separation method. A protocol using 96% ethanol for density separation was better than the five digestion methods tested, even better than using H2O2 digestion. As it was the most efficient, simple, safe and inexpensive method for isolating microplastics from vegetal rich samples, we recommend it as a standard separation method.This work was funded by projects PLASMAR (MAC/1.1a/030), with the support of the European Union (EU) and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the INTERREG V-A Spain-Portugal MAC 2014 2020 (Madeira-Azores-Canarias), MICROTROFIC (ULPGC2015-04) awarded to A.H. by ULPGC and BIOMAR (CEI-39-20162105-01) awarded to M.G. by CEI Canarias: Campus Atlántico Tricontinental. A.H. was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship granted by Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC-2014). T.T.P. was supported by TIAA-CREF (USA), Social Security (USA), and Canary Islands CEI: Tricontinental Atlantic Campus program.Herrera, A.; Garrido-Amador, P.; Martínez, I.; Samper, M.; López-Martínez, J.; Gómez, M.; Packard, TT. (2018). Novel methodology to isolate microplastics from vegetal-rich samples. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 129(1):61-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.02.015S6169129