Quantification of Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate-based Micro- and Nano-plastics from Soil Using Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance SpectroscopyAlexis B. Gillmore 1, Carlos A. Steren 2, Douglas G. Hayes 1, Sean M. Schaeffer 1
1Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, 2Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
A method to quantify micro- and nano-plastics originating from polybutylene adipate terephthalate in soil using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is described here. This technique improves on existing methodology because it extends to quantification of nanoplastics and it can easily be adapted for processing environmental samples in bulk.