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Microplastic as an Emerging Environmental Threat: A Critical Review on Sampling and Identification Techniques Focusing on Aquactic Ecoystem

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Abstract

Plastic is used in large quantities by humans. Most plastic waste ends up in landfills or water bodies through uncontrolled waste disposal. The larger plastics get fragmented into small pieces below 5 mm in size due to harsh environmental parameters, and such fragmented mall particles are called microplastic (microplastic, < 5 mm) or nanoplastic (< 1 µm) particles. Currently, microplastic particles are present all around us in significant quantities. Over the last few years, researchers have been exploring the impact of microplastic on the environment and living organisms. Due to a large number of variables such as the chemical nature of plastics, size, shape, lack of optical signatures, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, changes in environmental conditions, and lack of consensus on sampling and characterizations, it is hard to quantify and understand the role of microplastics on the environment. Here we provide a comprehensive review of the aquatic ecosystem’s sampling, purification process, and microplastic analysis. The future road map and challenges for such important parameters under microplastic research are also provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kozhikode, India

    Chingakham Chinglenthoiba

  2. Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore, 117543, Singapore

    Chingakham Chinglenthoiba

  3. Center for Emerging Contaminants Research, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, 804, Taiwan

    Kassian T. T. Amesho

  4. Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, 804, Taiwan

    Kassian T. T. Amesho

  5. The International University of Management, Centre for Environmental Studies, Main Campus, Dorado Park Ext 1, Windhoek, Namibia

    Kassian T. T. Amesho

  6. Destinies Biomass Energy and Farming Pty Ltd, P.O. Box 7387, Swakomund, Namibia

    Kassian T. T. Amesho

  7. Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut,, Kozhikode, Kerala, India

    Dekketi G. C. Vikram Reddy

  8. Environment Engineering & Management Division, Department of Civil Engineering, UKF College of Engineering & Technology, Kollam, Kerala, 691302, India

    Suchith Chellappan

  9. Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

    Mohd Nizam Lani

  10. Microplastic Research Interest Group (MRIG), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

    Mohd Nizam Lani

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  1. Chingakham Chinglenthoiba
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CC: Conceptualization, design of the review, illustration, writes-original draft preparation. KTTA: Writing—review & editing. DGCVR: Writing—review & editing. SC: Writing—review and editing. MNL: Writing—review & editing, supervision. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Chinglenthoiba, C., Amesho, K.T.T., Reddy, D.G.C.V. et al. Microplastic as an Emerging Environmental Threat: A Critical Review on Sampling and Identification Techniques Focusing on Aquactic Ecoystem. J Polym Environ 31, 1725–1747 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-022-02716-7

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