Bridging the gap in microplastic analysis from rivers to the sea

The National Institute of Environmental Research, under the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, said Wednesday it is hosting a joint research forum on advancing microplastic analytical technologies across land and marine sectors at Grand Central Auditorium in Jung-gu, Seoul, together with the National Institute of Fisheries Science and a microplastic expert panel.

The forum will focus on three areas: sharing each institution's microplastic research status and case studies on analytical technology applications; discussing interference factors and quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) measures that can arise when analyzing different matrices; and addressing the development of ISO standard analytical methods.

Participants will share the latest progress on the ISO microplastic standard analytical method (ISO/TC 147 16094-4) currently being developed under the leadership of South Korea and Japan, with discussions centering on technical issues and application cases related to pretreatment technologies and analytical procedures used in the land and marine sectors.

Microplastics can enter the environment at every stage of plastic production, use and disposal, making a precise analytical framework essential for identifying potential hazards.

Securing the reliability of analytical technologies to produce consistent data is critical, and technical mutual understanding and cooperation between the land and marine sectors is indispensable.

The National Institute of Environmental Research has been exchanging microplastic research and analytical technology with the National Institute of Fisheries Science since the two agencies signed an MOU in June 2024.

About 20 experts from the two institutions, related agencies and academia are expected to attend the forum, with discussions focusing on international standardization trends and the latest analytical technologies.

The institute also plans to share its latest research, including automated analytical methods, and draw up a concrete action plan for building a framework for future joint research and cooperation.

"To comprehensively understand microplastics across land and marine environments, it is important to understand the characteristics of analytical technologies in each sector and establish an analytical framework that allows for mutual comparison," said Kim Gyeong-hyeon, head of the institute's Water Environment Research Division. "Based on the technical cooperation measures derived from this forum, we will establish a microplastic analytical foundation that the public can trust."