Metodologias para preparo e análise de microplásticos em matrizes ambientais: uma revisão sob a perspectiva da ISO 24187:2023

Abstract

The industrial revolution driven by plastics transformed society by establishing a new standard for synthetic materials, whose versatility, low cost, and wide applicability reconfigured industrial processes, consumption patterns, and socio-environmental dynamics. However, this technological advancement was accompanied by significant environmental consequences, as the high durability that granted economic value to plastics also made them extremely persistent in the environment, favoring waste accumulation and contributing to the worsening of plastic pollution on a global scale. Within this scenario, microplastics (MPs) stand out as particles with dimensions between 5 mm and 1 μm. Currently, MPs represent a global environmental and public health problem due to their ubiquitous presence in soil, the atmosphere, aquatic ecosystems, and even human tissues. One of the main challenges associated with this topic is the lack of standardization, which makes it difficult to compare data across different studies. Therefore, this work aims to conduct a critical literature review of the methodologies used for the preparation and analysis of microplastics in environmental matrices evaluating them through the perspective of the guidelines established by ISO 24187:2023, International Organization for Standardization’s standard that defines principles and minimum requirements for microplastic analysis in the environment. The analysis revealed that, although the standard does not dictate a single analytical method, it provides an essential framework for validation, quality control, and data reporting. Spectroscopic (FTIR and Raman) and thermal (Py-GC-MS) techniques offer complementary capabilities that meet various requirements of ISO 24187:2023. In this context, sample preparation remains one of the primary analytical challenges, reinforcing the need for well-defined criteria and the integration between the standard and existing scientific literature.