Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy to Assess the Degree of Alteration of Artificially Aged and Environmentally Weathered Microplastics.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) is a spectroscopy technique widely used to identify organic materials. It has recently gained popularity in microplastic (MP) pollution research to determine the chemical composition of unknown plastic fragments. However, it could also be used to evaluate the degree of ageing of MPs collected from the environment.

Assessment of metals associated with virgin pre-production and freshwater microplastics collected by an Italian river.

Recently, microplastics (MPs) have been detected in almost all environmental matrices (water, soil, air, biota). Their presence is of concern due to high environmental persistence and their ability to release or bind pollutants. In light of this, the present work aimed to quantify a poorly studied pollutant category associated with MPs: metals.