Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment (한국물환경학회지)

Korean Society on Water Environment (한국물환경학회)
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Evaluation of the Feasibility of the Sample Pretreatment and Nile Red Fluorescence Staining Methods for Quantification of Microplastics in Wastewater Samples

하수처리장 유입⋅유출⋅공정수 내 미세플라스틱 분석을 위한 시료 전처리 기법과 Nile Red 형광염색법 적용성 평가

  • Jae In Kim (Energy and Environment Institute, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Nguyen Thu Huong (Department of Advanced Science and Technology Convergence, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Byung Joon Lee (Energy and Environment Institute, Kyungpook National University)
  • 김재인 (경북대학교 에너지환경연구소) ;
  • ;
  • 이병준 (경북대학교 에너지환경연구소)
  • Received : 2023.11.12
  • Accepted : 2023.12.27
  • Published : 2024.01.30
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Abstract

Microplastics in water resources have been recognized as a serious problem. The discharge of microplastics from wastewater treatment plants is considered a major contributor to environmental pollution in water resources. However, a reliable analytical method for quantifying microplastics in wastewater treatment plants has not yet been established. This study proposes a reliable, quick, and easy analytical method for quantifying microplastics. For the removal of organic particles, preprocessing steps were applied including oxidation, sonication, washing, and sieving. Nile Red staining was used to visualize microplastics, and quantitative analysis was conducted using fluorescent imaging. The stained microplastics were ultimately quantified through image analysis software. Among the preprocessing steps, sonication and washing stages were particularly effective in efficiently removing interfering substances from wastewater, enhancing the accuracy of the microplastic analysis. Additionally, various solvents (methanol, acetone, and N-hexane) for the Nile Red staining solution were tested. When N-hexane was applied as the solvent, the quantity of stained microplastics was lower compared to methanol and acetone. This suggests that N-hexane has a greater potential of reducing false staining and counting of non-plastic particles. In summary, this research demonstrates a robust method for quantifying microplastics in wastewater treatment plants by employing effective preprocessing steps and optimizing the staining process with Nile Red and N-hexane.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

이 논문은 2021년도 한국연구재단 이공분야 기초연구사업(NRF-2020R1I1A3A04036895)과 대구환경공단(산⋅산⋅학 공동연구), 대구테크노파크(2021 물산업구매연계 기술개발사업)의 지원을 받아 수행됨.

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