I am Bert van Bavel and together with my team at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) we are coordinating PlasticTrace ‘Impact’ activities.
We are now halfway through the project, and the impact of the research conducted by PlasticTrace is already evident. This research has been presented at several international meetings. In response to the recent developments in standardisation and harmonisation, a special event was organised at this year’s SETAC Europe annual meeting. During this event, in collaboration with the CUSP network and JRC, the needs to support EU policy were highlighted.
Considering the needs for QA/QC for microplastic analysis, PlasticTrace is collaborating with the NORMAN network, QUASIMEME, and VAMAS on several interlaboratory comparison studies. We are also actively involved in various ISO and CEN committees. These activities ensures that the research conducted by PlasticTrace is accessible beyond the scope of the project. Additionally, we are working hard to transform PlasticTrace research into easily accessible eLearning modules, which will be launched later this year.
So, follow us on social media to stay updated on all these important initiatives. PlasticTrace looks forward to interacting with you and hopes to make a significant impact on your research, technology developments, policy making, or education activities.
From all of us at NIVA,
Bert van Bavel
Work package leader of PlasticTrace Impact activities.
At the National Measurement Laboratory (NML), UK’s Designated Institute for Chemical and Biological Measurements, Dorota Bartczak, is leading the WP3, focused on the development of measurements methods for characterisation on nanoplastics and small microplastics in food. Two other members of her team, Aneta Sikora and David Ojeda, are also involved in this very challenging work.
We have selected two model matrices representing food of increasing complexity, starting from simple water matrix (Evian bottled mineral water by Nestle) and going into highly complex food matrix rich in proteins and fats, i.e. milk (first infant baby milk powder by HiPP). So far, our work has mainly focused on establishing the blank levels of plastics within these matrices and development of digestion and fractionation procedures. For this purpose, we have been using pristine nanoPP material from WP1 (provided by BAM), spiked into our model matrices at 1:10 ratio.
The nanoPP material has been well-characterised with a wide range of methods, we have been developing under WP3, including:
We are also working on development of the analyte pre-concentration strategies.
For small microplastics, we are developing different types of analytical methods, including spICP-MS, XPT or LD-IR, and in the first instance we will attempt characterisation of pristine PP microplastics, recently developed and prepared by our colleagues from SINTEF.
I’m David, a Spanish scientist working permanently at LGC in the UK. I joined WP3 of the PlasticTrace project dedicated to the development of innovative characterisation methods for Small Microplastics (1-10 micrometers).
Part of our work is focused on Single Particle ICP-MS (spICP-MS), for number-based concentration determinations. Although carbon-based analyses could be quite challenging for this technique, we are developing a specific methodology for Small Microplastics. With spICP-MS we’ve found a suitable working range from 1 to 5 µm particles, by using sample test materials of well-known size and different introduction systems.
We are currently testing quantification capabilities with orthogonal techniques to provide numbers to different materials, a type of information that is essential for the development of test/reference materials and for later characterisation of microplastics in more complex scenarios.
During my Master studies my research involved ecotoxicological analyses of particles, but it was not until my PhD that I started working on the previous stage, which is particle characterisation. This has given me a better insight into the importance of having analytical information for the correct evaluation of the potential impact that this kind of materials can have in the environment and our health.
I’m really glad I can be part of this project because of the relevance of microplastics in our lives, and also because it represents one of the biggest challenges in analytical chemistry nowadays.
Charlotte Wouters from Sciensano presented a poster at the European Microscopy Congress in Copenhagen with the title ‘A validation methodology for size and shape measurements of nanoplastics by transmission electron microscopy’.
This allowed to share our methodology to measure and analyse standardized nanoplastic materials by TEM with a broad microscopy community.
Bert Van Bavel has been interviewed for Chemistry World, the popular scientific magazine of Royal Society of Chemistry highlighting the importance of the work of PlasticTrace to standardize methods for both micro- and nano plastics. You can read the full article here.
Presenters at the PlasticTrace Satellite Event: Mark Morrison (Optimat/CUSP), Lisbeth Sørensen (SINTEF), Andy Booth (SINTEF), Marta Fadda (INRiM), Dora Mehn (JRC, European Commission), Dmitri Ciornii (BAM/CUSP), Yosri Wiesner (BAM), Andrea Mario Giovannozzi (INRiM).
During the SETAC conference in Seville, PlasticTrace had several posters and oral presentations of the progress of the project so far, in addition to organising a side-session in collaboration with the CUSP network. The session highlighted key aspects of both PlasticTrace and CUSP, alongside the most recent developments from JRC. Discussions revolved around updates concerning EU water directives, reference materials for micro-and nanoplastics, and outcomes of intercomparison studies.
Several members of the PlasticTrace project attended the XXVIII International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy (ICORS 2024) in Rome at Sapienza University. Our project Coordinator Andrea Giovannozzi co-chaired together with Stefania Federici from the COST Priority a full day session dedicated to microplastics and had a keynote presentation focused on “Standardization and Harmonization Effort on Microplastics Analysis by Spectroscopic Methods”. Additionally, we contributed with two other oral presentations by Marta Fadda and Andrea Rossi focused on “Combination of asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation and Raman spectroscopy enabled by dielectrophoresis to quantify and identify nanoplastics in water” and “Development and validation of a microRaman spectroscopy method to detect small microplastics in milk powder/infant formula”, respectively.
In the CCQM Nano- and Microplastics Measurements and Standards Task Group and WG discussion on OAWG priorities in this area, our coordinator Andrea provided an overview of micro and nanoplastics and the standardisation activities that PlasticTrace are part of. He highlighted that for the scientific and metrological needs, the need to define standardisation and optimum methods and the need for relevant reference materials and CRMs.
This meeting focused on the current standardization activities related to the measurement and characterization of micro- and nanoplastics. Key discussions included the development of new standards and the harmonization of existing ones to improve measurement accuracy and reliability.
The seminar highlighted the contributions of the PlasticTrace project towards the standardization of microplastics analysis. Emphasis was placed on the methodologies and technologies developed to enhance the precision and reproducibility of microplastics measurements.
The assembly brought together experts to discuss the intersection of food safety and nanotechnology. Key topics included the impact of nanoplastics on food quality and safety, and the development of standards to monitor and mitigate these effects.
The workshop addressed the broader context and challenges associated with micro- and nanoplastics. It also focused on ensuring metrological traceability of measurement data, which is crucial for environmental protection and food safety.
PlasticTrace, through NIVA, has contributed expertise in protocol development and sample composition for the QUASIMEME / NORMAN initative. The study focuses on the analysis of several water and wet sand samples, where participants are tasked with quantifying microplastic particles and identifying their polymer types of particles between size range of 50-300µm and 300-5000µm. Results from this study are expected in December 2025.
In collaboration with the NORMAN network, and with support from Chiron, PlasticTrace has designed two interlaboratory studies. The first study is focused on comparing the draft ISO method 16094-2 with in-house procedures. Assessing both internal and external laboratory variation will be done by tablet samples mimicking water samples. The results from this study are expected in early December and will be presented at the NORMAN network general assembly in Rome. The samples were kindly provided by Marie-Louise Magni and John Magnus Breivik from Chiron.
PlasticTrace, along with EAWAG and in collaboration with the NORMAN network, is also organizing a second part to the interlaboratory study. This study will investigate the impact of scanning paramteres and idenfication softwares on microplastic analysis. For this purpose, EAWAG is constructing a spespecialized ‘sandwich filter’ containing immobilized microplastics, which will be sent to all participants for analysis. This study is scheduled to take place in October, with the results expected by the end of the year.
MICRO2024 is scheduled to take place from the 23rd to the 27th of September in Lanzarote. PlasticTrace will be present with several presentations, posters and co-co-chairing sessions.
PlasticTrace Coordinator team will be present at the start-up of the COST ACTION ICPLASTIC MC1 in Brussels. Plastic Trace will be represented in connection activities related to ISO compatible, efficient and reproducible protocols/equipment for mICro-nanoPLASTIC detection through machine-learning (ICPLASTIC).
The RamanFest 2024 International Conference will showcase presentations from leading Raman spectroscopy experts and researchers who apply this technique in various fields such as life sciences, materials science, and energy and environmental analysis. PlasticTrace will be present with a plenary lecture. Early Bird registration ends September 23rd, 2024.
The International Metrology Congress is taking place in March 2025 in Lyon in France. Registration will open early November 2024. PlasticTrace is invited to share project experiences for the Round Table on “New Pollutants of emerging concern”.
The project has received funding from the European Partnership on Metrology, co-financed from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme and by the Participating States.
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M18 Meeting 21GRD07 PlasticTrace05 – 06 FEBRUARY, Turin (IT) Hosted by the Italian National Institute of Metrology Research (INRiM)Strada delle Cacce, 91 -10135 Torino, ITALY
The European Metrology Network for Safe and Sustainable Food hosted a hybrid training event on micro and nano contaminants in food on 5-6 September 2023, in METAS (Bern-Wabern, Switzerland) and Online.
Round Table on Microplastics StandardizationCo-organized by CA PRIORITY and 21GRD07 PlasticTraceMay 23, 2023, Berlin (DE). Hosted by Bundesanstalt fur Materialforschung und -prufung (BAM) Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany
May 23, 2023, Berlin (DE). Hosted by Bundesanstalt fur Materialforschung und -prufung (BAM)Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany
