Current status and emerging techniques for sampling, separating, and identifying microplastics in freshwater environments

Abstract

Microplastic pollution has emerged as a growing global concern due to its ubiquitous presence and adverse effects. Numerous studies have detected and characterized microplastics in freshwater environments using various analytical methods, reporting their accumulation near agricultural and urban areas with significant anthropogenic influence. However, there remains an urgent need to standardize analytical methods to guarantee the determination results with comparability and accuracy. Here, we summarized the commonly used methods and analyzed their popularity and limitations according to the published journal articles related to microplastics between 2013 and 2024. Moreover, we introduced novel techniques and emerging approaches for microplastic analysis, which include new lab-designed methods and advanced commercial techniques applied to microplastics for the first time, covering sample collection, preparation, and identification steps. The ongoing development of novel and advanced techniques is highly encouraged to find efficient, reliable, and user-friendly solutions for the long-term monitoring of microplastics.