Validation of ATR FT-IR to identify polymers of plastic marine debris, including those ingested by marine organisms
Open accessAbstract
Polymer identification of plastic marine debris can help identify its sources, degradation, and fate. We optimized and validated a fast, simple, and accessible technique, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR), to identify polymers contained in plastic ingested by sea turtles. Spectra of consumer good items with known resin identification codes #1-6 and several #7 plastics were compared to standard and raw manufactured polymers. High temperature size exclusion chromatography measurements confirmed ATR FT-IR could differentiate these polymers. High-density (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) discrimination is challenging but a clear step-by-step guide is provided that identified 78% of ingested PE samples. The optimal cleaning methods consisted of wiping ingested pieces with water or cutting. Of 828 ingested plastics pieces from 50 Pacific sea turtles, 96% were identified by ATR FT-IR as HDPE, LDPE, unknown PE, polypropylene (PP), PE and PP mixtures, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and nylon.
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Jung et al. also observed similar spectra for PP-based materials.
“Jung et al. [23] also observed similar spectra for PP-based materials.”
From Linking Polymer Transformation and Soil Microclimate to Mulch (Bio)Degradation: A Field-Based Approach Using Mesh Bags and FTIR (2026) · cites this paper as [23]
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“Jung et al. [23] also observed similar spectra for PP-based materials.”
- Authors
- Jung, M. R., Horgen, F. D., Orski, S. V., Rodriguez C., V., Beers, K. L., Balazs, G. H., Jones, T. T., Work, T. M., Brignac, K. C., Royer, S.-J., Hyrenbach, K. D., Jensen, B. A., & Lynch, J. M.
- Affiliations
- Hawaii Pacific University (US)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (US)
- NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (US)
- United States Geological Survey (US)
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lynch, Jennifer M.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Marine Pollution Bulletin
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-02
- Volume
- 127
- Pages
- 704-716
- ISSN
- 0025-326X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC13077791
- OpenAlex
- W2781908219
- Cited by
- 1,466
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 155 · 2025: 219 · 2024: 238 · 2023: 207 · 2022: 234 · 2021: 193 · 2020: 142 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 21
- FWCI
- 38.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Marine Pollution Bulletin (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- NOAA Institutional Repository (submittedVersion, public-domain)
- Funders
- NIST Marine Environmental Specimen Bank (60NANB15D026)
- National Institutes of Health (P20GM103466)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Polymers and Plastics › Polymer crystallization and properties
- Keywords
- marine plastic debris, polymer identification, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, plastic ingestion, high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, nylon
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Eating, Environmental Monitoring, Gastrointestinal Contents, Pacific Ocean, Plastics, Sensitivity and Specificity, Turtles, United States, Waste Products, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Molecular Structure, Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
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