A small-scale, portable method for extracting microplastics from marine sediments

Microplastics (plastic particles, 0.1 μm–5 mm in size) are widespread marine pollutants, accumulating in benthic sediments and shorelines the world over. To gain a clearer understanding of microplastic availability to marine life, and the risks they pose to the health of benthic communities, ecological processes and food security, it is important to obtain accurate measures of microplastic abundance in marine sediments. To date, methods for extracting microplastics from marine sediments have been disadvantaged by complexity, expense, low extraction efficiencies and incompatibility with very fine sediments. Here we present a new, portable method to separate microplastics from sediments of differing types, using…

• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Awards: NE/L003988/1, pml010007, pml010003, NE/L003279/1, pml010004, NE/L007010/1
• UO
  University of Exeter
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Awards: NE/L007010/1, NE/L002434/, NE/L002434/1, NE/L003279/1, pml010003, NE/L007010, NE/L003279/1, pml010004, L007010, L003279/1, pml010007, L002434, NE/L003988/1, NE/L002434