PHARMASPIRE - Volume 15, Issue 01,2023 , Jan-March

Pages: 44-47
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Development and validation of simple UV-spectrophotometric method for the estimation of polystyrene plastic/microplastic

Author: Tanish Goyal, Ghanshyam Das Gupta, Sant Kumar Verma

Category: P'Ceutical Chemistry

Abstract:

Polystyrene is a widely used plastic for household purposes or in industrial packaging. However, polystyrene can be categorized as a potent carcinogenic due to its monomer unit. Polystyrene comprises several styrene units that easily leach as styrene microplastics on contact with hot or fatty material. A ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometer method has been developed for the determination of polystyrene. Polystyrene in an aqueous solution with tetrahydrofuran was estimated at a wavelength ranging from 200 to 300 nm. The λmax of polystyrene was found to be 261.5 nm. The method was linear for the polystyrene concentration ranging from 20 to 120 μg/mL. The limit of detection was founded to be 1.65 μg/mL, and the limit of quantification was 5 μg/mL. Interday and intraday precision were performed for the developed method, and the RSD was <2%. Further, the developed method was evaluated with other International Conference of Harmonization parameters, such as ruggedness and robustness, showing positive results. The developed UV spectrophotometric method would be useful for estimating polystyrene plastic or microplastic in polluted water in a cost and time-efficient manner.

Keywords: Microplastic, Polystyrene, Ultraviolet spectrophotometer method, White pollution

DOI: 10.56933/Pharmaspire.2023.15107

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.56933/Pharmaspire.2023.15107

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