Applications
Secondary microplastics
Anyone sourcing microplastic reference material today generally receives the supplier's polymer: their batch, their additive package, their state of ageing.
- 7
- documented polymers
- 3–151 µm
- particle size
- 177
- documented test series
From your polymer, not from a catalogue.
For method validation, ecotoxicology and interlaboratory studies that is often the wrong material. What is needed is the one the case actually concerns – your polymer, your batch, your additive package.
We reduce your own polymer into secondary microplastics – at gram scale, with a measurement report for every batch.
Your polymer, not a model polymer
Spherical primary particles account for around two thirds of all aquatic studies but represent only about six percent of real environmental microplastics. We fragment your own material – irregular, polydisperse, realistic.
Quantities sufficient for test series
The US chemical industry's reference material workshop puts real demand at 50 milligrams to around 20 kilograms depending on the application.
No cryogenics, with a report
We work without liquid nitrogen. For every batch we supply the size distribution with the distribution type stated.
What we supply
- PP, PS, PVC, PC, PET, PA6 and HDPE are documented – other thermoplastics are clarified through a trial size reduction
- Irregular fragments from your original material, not spheres from a polymerisation
- Fractionation by centrifugation and sieving for narrow target ranges
- Measurement report per batch with d10, d50, d90 and the distribution type stated
- Non-disclosure agreement before the first sample if you wish
| Polymer | d50 range (µm) | Middle 50 % (µm) | Median (µm) | Finest fraction, number-weighted (µm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polypropylene (PP) | 6.0 – 151 | 16 – 71 | 38 | 2.5 |
| Polystyrene (PS) | 6.8 – 124 | 9.0 – 31 | 18 | 1.1 |
| PVC (post-consumer) (PVC) | 3.0 – 116 | 12 – 30 | 19 | 2.2 |
| Polycarbonate (PC) | 3.2 – 126 | 13 – 36 | 16 | 11 |
| PET (PET) | 8.5 – 112 | 17 – 48 | 31 | 6.1 |
| Polyamide 6 (PA6) | 14.4 – 126 | 20 – 31 | 24 | 1.9 |
The seven documented polymers
All values come from completed customer and research projects and are volume-weighted – the distribution type that governs mass and yield. Number-weighted values lie systematically below these and are not comparable with them.
| Polymer | d50 range | Middle 50 % of samples | Median | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polypropylene (PP) | 6 – 151 µm | 16 – 71 µm | 38 µm | 32 |
| Polystyrene (PS) | 6.8 – 124 µm | 9 – 31 µm | 18 µm | 16 |
| PVC (post-consumer) (PVC) | 3 – 116 µm | 12 – 30 µm | 19 µm | 37 |
| Polycarbonate (PC) | 3.2 – 126 µm | 13 – 36 µm | 16 µm | 31 |
| PET (PET) | 8.5 – 112 µm | 17 – 48 µm | 31 µm | 28 |
| Polyamide 6 (PA6) | 14.4 – 126 µm | 20 – 31 µm | 24 µm | 31 |
| HDPE (HDPE) | 41 – 101 µm* | – | – | 2 |
Volume-weighted indicative values, rounded, from completed projects. * For HDPE only two measurement series without a stated distribution type exist so far; they are not directly comparable with the other figures in this table. We label this rather than silently mixing the values in.
Frequently asked questions
Which polymers can you process?
PP, PS, PVC, PC, PET, PA6 and HDPE are documented. We clarify other thermoplastics through a trial size reduction.
How much material do you need from me?
A few hundred grams of feed material is usually enough for a first trial size reduction. For series production we discuss larger quantities.
Is this a certified reference material?
No. We do not hold ISO 17034 CRM certification. We produce the material top-down – your original polymer is fragmented, producing irregular particles rather than synthetic spheres – and supply a measurement report per batch with d10, d50, d90 and the distribution type stated.
Why no cryogenic size reduction?
Our process works without liquid nitrogen. That saves running costs for coolant.
Do you treat my material confidentially?
Yes, under NDA before the first sample if you wish. A substantial share of our projects runs under confidentiality agreements.