Potassium Carbonate (K2CO3) - A cheap, non-toxic and high-density floating solution for microplastic isolation from beach sediments

Abstract

Beaches are good indicators for microplastic distribution and local microplastic pollution. Multiple methods have been developed for extracting microplastics from sediment, mainly through density separation. However, the chemicals applied are often expensive and harmful for the user or to the environment. We briefly review the problems associated with the use of these chemicals and present a new floatation solution, potassium carbonate (K2CO3) that has many advantages over available media. It is non-toxic and cheap, and with a density of 1.54 g/cm3 the K2CO3 solution yielded a mean recovery rate of around 92% for PVC, one of the densest polymers, that cannot be easily extracted with alternative floatation agents. We propose that the use of K2CO3 is particularly promising for long term and large-scale monitoring studies, not least because it allows an increasing involvement of citizen scientists, hopefully leading to an increased public awareness of the plastic problem in the seas.