Solvent-Based Elimination of Organic Matter from Marine-Collected Plastics
The physical-chemical characterization of plastic litter from the marine environment requires the prior removal of the biofouling attached to their surface without causing any degradation in the polymer. The absence of a standardized protocol for digesting biofouling and organic matter of both macro...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Environments |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/8/7/68 |
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| author | Amaia Mendoza Galder Kortaberria Florencio F. Marzo Ugo Mayor Oihane C. Basurko Cristina Peña-Rodriguez |
| author_facet | Amaia Mendoza Galder Kortaberria Florencio F. Marzo Ugo Mayor Oihane C. Basurko Cristina Peña-Rodriguez |
| author_sort | Amaia Mendoza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The physical-chemical characterization of plastic litter from the marine environment requires the prior removal of the biofouling attached to their surface without causing any degradation in the polymer. The absence of a standardized protocol for digesting biofouling and organic matter of both macro and microplastic samples extracted from seawater has been the main motivation for this research work, which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different solvents (hydrogen peroxide, ethanol, a commercial enzymatic detergent, and potassium hydroxide) for the digestion of organic matter and biofouling in different samples recovered from the Spanish Atlantic and Mediterranean coast. Moreover, the potential effect of those solvents on the physical-chemical structure of polymers, four virgin plastic reference materials (low-density polyethylene, polyamide, poly(ethylene terephthalate) and polystyrene) without any type of prior degradation has been characterized in terms of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and optical microscopy. Results indicate that the hydrogen peroxide at 15% concentration applied for one week at 40 °C is the most effective solvent for organic matter and biofouling removal, without causing any apparent damage on the structure of plastic samples analyzed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:40:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c821247d3bce47a1b76de1ace2ed2cbd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3298 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:40:33Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environments |
| spelling | doaj.art-c821247d3bce47a1b76de1ace2ed2cbd2023-11-22T03:45:58ZengMDPI AGEnvironments2076-32982021-07-01876810.3390/environments8070068Solvent-Based Elimination of Organic Matter from Marine-Collected PlasticsAmaia Mendoza0Galder Kortaberria1Florencio F. Marzo2Ugo Mayor3Oihane C. Basurko4Cristina Peña-Rodriguez5“Materials +Technologies” Research Group (GMT), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gipuzkoa, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plaza Europa 1, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain“Materials +Technologies” Research Group (GMT), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gipuzkoa, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plaza Europa 1, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain“Materials +Technologies” Research Group (GMT), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gipuzkoa, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plaza Europa 1, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, SpainDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, SpainAZTI Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Herrera Kaia Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia, Spain“Materials +Technologies” Research Group (GMT), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gipuzkoa, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plaza Europa 1, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, SpainThe physical-chemical characterization of plastic litter from the marine environment requires the prior removal of the biofouling attached to their surface without causing any degradation in the polymer. The absence of a standardized protocol for digesting biofouling and organic matter of both macro and microplastic samples extracted from seawater has been the main motivation for this research work, which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different solvents (hydrogen peroxide, ethanol, a commercial enzymatic detergent, and potassium hydroxide) for the digestion of organic matter and biofouling in different samples recovered from the Spanish Atlantic and Mediterranean coast. Moreover, the potential effect of those solvents on the physical-chemical structure of polymers, four virgin plastic reference materials (low-density polyethylene, polyamide, poly(ethylene terephthalate) and polystyrene) without any type of prior degradation has been characterized in terms of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and optical microscopy. Results indicate that the hydrogen peroxide at 15% concentration applied for one week at 40 °C is the most effective solvent for organic matter and biofouling removal, without causing any apparent damage on the structure of plastic samples analyzed.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/8/7/68marine litterplasticsorganic matterdigestionsolvents |
| spellingShingle | Amaia Mendoza Galder Kortaberria Florencio F. Marzo Ugo Mayor Oihane C. Basurko Cristina Peña-Rodriguez Solvent-Based Elimination of Organic Matter from Marine-Collected Plastics Environments marine litter plastics organic matter digestion solvents |
| title | Solvent-Based Elimination of Organic Matter from Marine-Collected Plastics |
| title_full | Solvent-Based Elimination of Organic Matter from Marine-Collected Plastics |
| title_fullStr | Solvent-Based Elimination of Organic Matter from Marine-Collected Plastics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Solvent-Based Elimination of Organic Matter from Marine-Collected Plastics |
| title_short | Solvent-Based Elimination of Organic Matter from Marine-Collected Plastics |
| title_sort | solvent based elimination of organic matter from marine collected plastics |
| topic | marine litter plastics organic matter digestion solvents |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/8/7/68 |
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