Today we're extracting and purifying microplastics from my local lake using Olive Oil! This is part of the #TeamSeas campaign, to raise awareness around the issues of plastic in our oceans, beaches and rivers.

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==== Details ====
There are multiple ways to extract microplastics for analysis, mostly using density separation. I tried a technique called Oil Extraction Process. Because most plastics are Oleophilic ("oilloving"), a mixture of oil and water will separate plastic into the oil phase. Everything else will settle into the water phase, allowing you to collect the microplastics for futher study.

I collected sediment from my local lake (Lake Champlain) and ran it through the OEP, with varying levels of success. I eventually got a good sample and was able to image it on the Scanning Electron Microscope. It's hard to know if any individual piece is a microplastic, but we can use morphology and EDS clues to help decide.

==== Oil Extraction Process citations ====
Coppock, R. L., Cole, M., Lindeque, P. K., Queirós, A. M., & Galloway, T. S. (2017). A smallscale, portable method for extracting microplastics from marine sediments. Environmental Pollution, 230, 829–837. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2017.07.017
Lechthaler, S., Hildebrandt, L., Stauch, G., & Schüttrumpf, H. (2020). Canola oil extraction in conjunction with a plastic free separation unit optimises microplastics monitoring in water and sediment. Analytical Methods. doi:10.1039/d0ay01574a
Scopetani, C., Chelazzi, D., Mikola, J., Leiniö, V., Heikkinen, R., Cincinelli, A., & Pellinen, J. (2020). Olive oilbased method for the extraction, quantification and identification of microplastics in soil and compost samples. Science of The Total Environment, 733, 139338. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139338

https://www.nature.com/articles/d4158...

==== Alternative Nonprofits to consider ====
River Cleanup https://www.rivercleanup.org/en
Mr. Trash Wheel https://www.mrtrashwheel.com/
Water Witch https://waterwitch.com/
5 Gyres https://www.5gyres.org/
Gulf of Alaska Keeper http://www.goak.org/
Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project https://www.pmdphawaii.org/
KIMO https://www.kimointernational.org/
Ocean Voyages Institute https://www.oceanvoyagesinstitute.org/

==== The Ocean Cleanup citations ====
https://gizmodo.com/thedreamofscoo...
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/a...
https://www.ecowatch.com/marineplast...
https://discardstudies.com/2015/06/05...
https://www.deepseanews.com/2014/07/t...
https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/9/181...
https://www.dezeen.com/2019/05/23/the...
https://www.theguardian.com/environme...
FalkAndersson, J., Larsen Haarr, M., & Havas, V. (2020). Basic principles for development and implementation of plastic cleanup technologies: What can we learn from fisheries management? Science of The Total Environment, 745, 141117. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141117

==== Timecodes ====
0:00 #TeamSeas
1:00 What are microplastics?
2:13 Density separation
3:07 Oil extraction process
4:06 Running the protocol
4:55 Vacuum Filtration woes
6:36 First SEM results
7:50 Scaling down the experiment
8:30 Alternatives to vacuum filtration
11:16 Second round of SEM results
15:27 #TeamSeas and nonprofit partners