Identification Of Microplastics In Environmental Monitoring Using Pyrolysis-Gc-Ms Analysis

Microplastics are now recognized as pervasive in the environment, as well as in stormwater, wastewater, ocean water, coastal sediments, drinking water, and even animal tissue. The mismanagement of plastic waste throughout the world is a matter of urgent concern that has led to product bans for small plastics, such as microbeads used in cosmetic products, to larger plastic item, such as bags and straws, that can degrade into microplastics, This concern has also resulted in new and planned requirements to monitor microplastics in the environment. The implementation of monitoring programs requires reliable standardized methods and best practice guidelines, yet environmental measurement and monitoring practitioners still do not have established practices and methods for collecting and analyzing plastic pollution. This deficiency has resulted in significant challenges in the interpretation of research findings for use in corporate or government policy. A major issue with measurement based upon sampling and analysis of microplastics is their unique behavior; environmental microplastics occur as non-homogeneously distributed particulates and fibers composed of various polymeric materials. This article provides an overview of the environmental and analytical challenges caused by microplastics; it proposes an analytical measurement approach that enables accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis of microplastics, and demonstrates some of the advantages of pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) for the analysis of environmental samples as compared to the other leading analytical methods.