Bannick, Claus GerhardObermaier, NathanRicking, MathiasSchniegler, SaraSzewzyk, RegineBarthel, Anne-Kathrin2024-06-162024-06-162019https://doi.org/10.60810/openumwelt-1230https://openumwelt.de/handle/123456789/5934A harmonization of sampling, sample preparation and detection is pivotal in order to obtain comparable data on microplastics (MP) in the environment. This paper develops and proposes a suitable sampling concept for waterbodies that considers different plastic specific properties and influencing factors in the environment. Both artificial water including defined MP fractions and the discharge of a wastewater treatment plant were used to verify the derived sampling procedure, sample preparation and the subsequent analysis of MP using thermal extraction-desorption gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (TED-GC-MS). A major finding of this paper is that an application of various particle size classes greatly improves the practical handling of the sampling equipment. Size classes also enable the TED-GC-MS to provide any data on the MP size distribution, a substantial sampling property affecting both the necessary sampling volume and the optimal sampling depth. In the artificial body of water with defined MP fractions, the recovery rates ranged from 80-110%, depending on the different MP types and MP size classes. In the wastewater discharge, we found both polyethylene and polystyrene in different size classes and quantities. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.1 Onlineressource (Pages 650-658)online resourceenghttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ProbenahmeWasserWissenschaftlicher Artikel