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Microplastics and Nanoplastics

Table 1 Method-effectiveness scoring system. A method-effectiveness scoring system based on eight criteria in terms of method abilities/characteristics was established for all analysis methods used by the respondents. This was accomplished based on suggestions made by policy experts and decision makers during workshop 2

From: Value for money: a cost-effectiveness analysis of microplastic analytics in seawater

Method

Method subcategory

Confirmative plastic/non-plastic

Physical character-isation MPs

MP mass determination

MP polymer identifi-cation

LOD > 300 µm (0),

 > 50 µm (1)

or < 50 µm (2)

TWP character

-isation

Identifi

-cation of chemical additives

Destructive for sample

Total

score

(Fluorescence) (Stereo)microscopy

Microscopy

0

2

1

0

2

0

0

2

7

Stereomicroscopy

0

2

1

0

1

0

0

2

6

Fluorescence microscopy

0

2

1

1

2

0

0

2

8

Fluorescence stereomicroscopy

0

2

1

1

1

0

0

2

7

(Stereo)microscopy + ATR-FTIR

 

2

2

1

2

0

1

0

2

10

(Stereo)microscopy + µ-FTIR

Microscopy

2

2

1

2

2

1

0

2

12

Stereomicroscopy

2

2

1

2

1

1

0

2

11

Fluorescence (stereo)microscopy + µ-FTIR

Fluorescence microscopy

2

2

1

2

2

1

0

2

12

Fluorescence stereomicroscopy

2

2

1

2

1

1

0

2

11

(Stereo)microscopy + µ-Raman

Microscopy

2

2

1

2

2

1

0

2

12

Stereomicroscopy

2

2

1

2

1

1

0

2

11

GC–MS-based techniques

 

2

1

2

2

2

2

2

0

13

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