Webinar
Jun 30, 2021

Plastics are synthetic organic polymers, commercially introduced on a large scale starting in the 1950s. Single-use plastics (grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, utensils) are persistent pollutants making up approximately 40% of beach litter, which eventually ends up in the marine environment, with an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic waste entering the oceans worldwide every year. Most plastics have a very long degradation time, and for a timespan up to centuries through weathering they end up as macro-, micro- and nanoplastics.

Due to their characteristics and additional content (monomeric residue, plasticizers, phthalates, flame retardants etc.), micro- and nanoplastics can have complex toxicological effects on marine life through direct ingestion and/or leachates, and also representing a hazard for ecosystems and for human exposure through consumption and inhalation. Among the analytical techniques used for the analysis of microplastics are Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and microscopy, also pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectrometry (py-GC-MS). Py-GC-MS presents a promising approach for surveillance where throughput is critical enabling time-saving detection of bulk amounts of micro- and nanoplastics. In this study, the efficiency of Py-GC-MS considering both single quadropole and high-resolution, accurate-mass spectrometry was investigated for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of microplastics.

Key learning objectives:

  • Introduction to analytical solutions for plastics and microplastic analysis using pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectrometry
  • Benefit of high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry (HRAM) in microplastics analysis
  • Workflows for analysis and identification of microplastics using GC Orbitrap and Single Quadrupole GC-MS

Who should attend?

  • Technicians and users of chromatography instruments
  • Laboratory managers and supervisors
  • Laboratory technicians and operators
 
Submit an application or troubleshooting question to stand a chance to win a gift. Attendees who attend at least 75% of the live webinar will receive a certificate of attendance. *Terms and conditions apply 
 

Speaker Bio(s):

Cristian Cojocariu

Cristian Cojocariu
Senior Manager, Product Application
Thermo Fisher Scientific, UK

Cristian manages the GC-MS and Trace Elemental applications team at Thermo Fisher Scientific which focuses on applications development support. He has worked in both academia and industrial gaining strong hands-on experience with GC-MS and LC-MS systems used to investigate organic chemicals in biological and environmental samples. Cristian holds Bachelor of Science degree in Ecology & Environmental Protection, a Master of Science degree in Biodiversity, and a PhD in tree physiology from Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Germany.

Jane Cooper

Jane Cooper
Senior Applications Scientist
Thermo Fisher Scientific, UK

Jane is a Senior Applications Scientist for GC & GC-MS at Thermo Fisher Scientific, experienced in the generation of technical marketing material to support Marketing and Sales activities highlighting advantages of Thermo Scientific software and hardware in the developed workflows. Prior to that role, she has over twenty-three years of chromatography industrial experience gained working in quality driven regulatory labs, with high sample turnover and fast turnaround times.

Pyrolysis-GC-MS: A powerful approach for microplastics determination in food and environment | Available on-demand now!

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