I would appreciate if you could share your experience in digesting animal fecal matter for microplastic analysis
Using 10% KOH for digestion of fecal matter is achievable. KOH volume can be 5 times of the organic matter to be digested. This can be incubated for 48-72 hrs or till the organic matter fully digests.
You can follow the procedure of Article A high-performance protocol for extraction of microplastics in fish
Thanks for the response. However, we have tried KOH and H2O2 and combinations. Put, it is not easy to get fully digested.
After 48-72 hrs of incubation at 55-60C, filter the solution, and if your are able to collect or identify any microplastic particle in the residue, collect it and then again digest the remaning residue in KOH or either in H2O2 at 65-75C in a heating mantle or hot plate. However using H2O2 and heat may affect the some kind of polymers and thus the recovery percentage. And never expect a clean residue just with microplastics on the filter paper. A thin layer of organic matter will always be remain.
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