Method of extraction and determination of microplastics in organic and inorganic samples

The uncontrolled introduction into the environment of plastic polymers have caused the dispersion of Microplastics (MPs). MPs represent an important issue for environmental, human health and for the innovative quality checks of commercial products according to both the legal innovations and new guideline on renewed management of plastic, which the European Community is gradually defining and applying. The invention presented allows the extraction of micro- and nanoplastics including those <10 microns in organic, inorganic, solid and liquid matrices

The current extraction techniques of MPs provides the filtration of the aqueous sample through membranes with porosity of about 1-3 µm. So, only the MPs with dimensions greater than those of the pores of the membranes can be recovered. The patent permits the wholly extraction of micro- and nanoplastics , including MPs <10 µm, without the filtration phase but by sedimentation of the particles and the recovery through a solvent with a specific weight higher than of water one. The preliminary acid digestion phase of the matrix make possible to solubilize the solid matrices of food or of human and animal biological tissues and, therefore, recover the plastic particles contained therein. The extraction and consequent analysis of the smallest plastic particles allows to estimate and evaluate the full presence of MPs for the real identification and evaluation of the impacts on the commercial quality of food products and of the various free consumption products. Moreover, it permits the evaluation of ecological and human risks due to the ubiquitous exposure to these particles. In fact, only the very small particles, i.e. less than 10 µm and in particular less than micron, are absorbed in the gastro-intestinal tract and through the lower airways and can be distributed throughout the body with a possible harmful effect on human health, but whose susceptibility absorption has also been observed to aquatic and terrestrial organisms, including plants.

The main applications of this technology are:

Implementation of food, environmental and pharmaceutical quality standards, cosmetics, mineral water, water intended for human consumption, groundwater, surface water, marine water, swimming pool and aquaculture tank water, urban and industrial wastewater, liquid waste.
Improvement of conductive metallic materials for applications in the fields of electrical engineering, information technology, telecommunications.
Quality controls for plastic structures dedicated to aerospace engineering.
Applied biomedical research.
Industrial address research

Our idea is to propose the method to quality control agencies and government bodies so that the evaluation of these contaminants becomes mandatory in various fields in order to improve the quality of life both from the point of view of public health and from the point of view of view of the technological vision.

This technology allows you to perform the analysis of MPs quickly and cheap, and also, it allows you to obtain the real estimate of MPs present in the matrix with important implications for health, ecological, industrial research, etc. The analysis could be automated and specifically the use of the SEM-EDX could be managed by specific software. In itself, SEM electron microscopy with EDX detector has low costs compared to the techniques considered today. The technology can be used for various types of matrices.