School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, 19958, USA.
School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19971, USA.
Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 30;13(1):5195. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-32250-y.
Microplastic fragments (microfragments) are among the most abundant microplastic shapes found in marine ecosystems throughout the world. Due to their limited commercial availability, microfragments are rarely used in laboratory experiments. Here a novel method of microfragment production has been developed and validated. Polyethylene and polypropylene plastic stock (2 and 3 mm thick respectively) was ground using a cryomill, washed, and rinsed through a stack of sieves. Microfragments were prepared at three distinct size classes (53-150, 150-300, 300-1000 μm) and were confirmed to be accurate and consistent in size. Employing a novel ice cap dosing technique, microfragments were accurately dosed into experimental vials while excluding headspace, facilitating particle suspension without the aid of chemical surfactants. A proof of principle ingestion experiment confirmed the bioavailability of 53-150 μm polyethylene microfragments to brine shrimp Artemia sp. Together, these methods provide a controlled way to produce and dose microplastic fragments for experimental and analytical research.
微塑料碎片（微碎片）是在全球海洋生态系统中发现的最丰富的微塑料形状之一。由于其商业可用性有限，微碎片在实验室实验中很少使用。在这里，开发并验证了一种生产微碎片的新方法。使用冷冻粉碎机将聚乙烯和聚丙烯塑料原料（分别为 2 毫米和 3 毫米厚）粉碎，然后进行清洗，并通过一堆筛子进行冲洗。微碎片制备成三个不同的粒度等级（53-150、150-300 和 300-1000 μm），并确认其尺寸准确且一致。采用新型冰帽加标技术，在排除顶空的同时，可将微碎片准确地加入实验小瓶中，无需使用化学表面活性剂即可促进颗粒悬浮。一项原理验证摄食实验证实了盐水虾 Artemia sp. 对 53-150 μm 聚乙烯微碎片的生物可利用性。总之，这些方法为实验和分析研究提供了一种可控的生产和加标微塑料碎片的方法。
