A new “gold standard” for soil analysis and microplastic extraction has been developed at the University of New England (UNE), unlocking vital capabilities to safeguard agricultural soils and protect human health. Led by Ph.D. candidate Nivetha Sivarajah, the research team developed a new multi-criteria framework to identify the most effective method to extract six common plastic types from different soil textures. The study is published in the journal Soil Advances.
Low-cost method could standardize microplastic extraction from soils worldwide
