Innovative approach for quantitative determination of ingested microplastics by Daphnia magna: use of differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry
Open accessAbstract
Due to the serious environmental impacts of plastic pollution, some conventional plastics have been replaced with biodegradable alternatives. However, these biodegradable options can also fragment and form microplastics, which can be ingested by and harm various biota. The standard methods for quantifying ingested microplastics involve digestion of the gut or the whole organism using acidic, alkaline, or oxidative processes. However, these aggressive methods may destroy biodegradable microplastics, leading to erroneous results. Therefore, in this study, we employed thermal analysis methods, specifically differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG), to quantify the ingestion of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB), a biodegradable microplastic, by the freshwater crustacean, Daphnia magna. During chronic experiments, we analysed organisms exposed to P3HB with sizes smaller than 125 and 63 μm, at concentrations ranging from 1.56–25 mg L−1. DSC identified an endothermic peak associated with the melting of semicrystalline P3HB, and its enthalpies were utilised to compute the number/mass of P3HB ingested by D. magna. Notably, shifts in melting points suggested that higher concentrations induced particle agglomeration, and these agglomerates could not penetrate deeply into the organism. The TG approach involved subtracting the mass loss between 200 and 400 °C in D. magna specimens exposed to P3HB suspensions from controls without P3HB exposure. Both methods provided comparable data, revealing that, depending on particle size, individual D. magna ingested up to 10% of their body mass. Our findings indicate that both methods effectively detect P3HB (and potentially other plastic fragments), with DSC demonstrating better sensitivity. While the suggested approach did not enable us to calculate the level of determination or quantification, we were able to demonstrate that DSC can detect P3HB in only one specimen of D. magna exposed to the lowest suspension concentration. This indicates that D. magna exposed to the 63 μm fraction ingested approximately 3 μg of P3HB, whereas those exposed to the 125 μm P3HB ingested around 4 μg of P3HB. The introduced methods expand the possibilities for detecting ingested microplastics and probably also nanoplastics, in zooplankton and possibly also other species.
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At a concentration of 25 mg/L, Daphnia magna ingested P3HB microplastics up to 10.3 wt% of MPs <63 μm and 6.3 wt% of MPs <125 μm.
“For example, at a concentration of 25 mg/L, D. magna ingested P3HB MPs up to 10.3 wt% of MPs <63 μm and 6.3 wt% of MPs <125 μm, respectively.”
The ingestion of P3HB microplastics by Daphnia magna depends on both their size and concentration in the surrounding environment.
“As recently reported in our work [52], the ingestion of P3HB MPs depended on both their size and concentration in the surrounding environment.”
As the concentration of P3HB microplastics in suspension increased, the content of P3HB found in Daphnia magna increased.
“Furthermore, as the concentration of P3HB MPs in suspension increased, so did the content of P3HB found in D. magna [52].”
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- Authors
- Procházková, P., Kalčíková, G., Maršálková, E., Zlámalová Gargošová, H., & Kučerík, J.
- Affiliations
- Brno University of Technology (CZ)
- University of Ljubljana (SI)
- Corresponding author
- Kučerík, Jiří
- Venue
- Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry
- Published
- 2024-04-08
- Volume
- 150
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 1303-1310
- ISSN
- 1388-6150 (ISSN-L)
- 1588-2926
- OpenAlex
- W4394575646
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5
- FWCI
- 1.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Brno University of Technology Digital Library (Brno University of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy (FCH-S-23-8297)
- Javna Agencija za Raziskovalno Dejavnost RS (P2-0191)
- European Cooperation in Science and Technology (CA20101)
- Brno University of Technology
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Keywords
- microplastic ingestion, Daphnia magna, polyhydroxybutyrate, biodegradable microplastics, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, particle agglomeration, particle size effects, plastic pollution, zooplankton, nanoplastics, long-term exposure, heat of fusion, mass loss
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