Citizen Science: Sampling and Identifying Microplastics and their Polymer-Types in Sandy Beaches

Microplastics are plastic pieces ranging from 1 µm to 5 mm, originating from industrial manufacture or plastic waste that degrades in the environment. Microplastics are found throughout the environment, including on beaches. Citizen scientist-led work helps collect data while engaging and educating a broader community in plastics research. However, current citizen science plastic sampling methods do not capture data about microplastic polymer types. This information is critical to understanding the origins, fate, and impact of microplastics in the environment. We adapted ROCHA's Guidelines for Sampling Microplastics on Sandy Beaches to provide an accessible citizen science method requiring few tools. To assess the method, sand was collected from three beaches in the metropolitan region of Salvador (Bahia, Brazil) following established protocols. Once sand and microplastics were separated in water, the buoyant microplastics were further separated into polyethylene, polypropylene, and expanded polystyrene. This polymer-specific separation was achieved through density difference using two household ethanol solutions. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy was used to independently determine the polymer type, verifying the use of our density separation method for accessible, rapid, and safe identification of polymer type by citizen scientists sampling microplastics on beaches and in other environments.

Presentation Preference: Poster

Primary Presenter: Andresa Lima, Northeastern University (oliveiratavareslim.a@northeastern.edu)

Authors:

Andresa Lima, Northeastern University  (oliveiratavareslim.a@northeastern.edu)

Aron Stubbins, Northeastern University  (a.stubbins@northeastern.edu)