PUREEF-Y – InPlasTwin Workshop 1
Workshop on Practical Approaches for Microplastics Sampling and Extraction
On 5 November 2025, the online workshop “Practical Approaches for Sampling and Extraction of Microplastics from Soil, Sediment, Compost, and Biota” was held via Zoom as part of the project’s dissemination, capacity-building, and knowledge-exchange activities.
The workshop brought together researchers and practitioners to share practical methodologies, analytical approaches, and quality assurance practices related to microplastics research across different environmental matrices. The event opened with welcome remarks and housekeeping by Gordana Racić (Foodscale Hub), followed by introductory presentations highlighting relevant EU research initiatives. Janja Vidmar (Jožef Stefan Institute) presented the InPlasTwin Project, while Gotelenne Piaton (CMMI) introduced the PUREEF-Y Project.
The technical programme featured expert contributions focused on practical sampling, extraction, and analysis techniques for microplastics:
- “Microplastics Analysis in Soil: From Sample Preparation to Quality Assurance and Quality Control”
Nhu Phan, PhD, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) - “Separation of Microplastics from Marine Sediments”
Fred Olav Libnau, PhD, Institute of Marine Research, Norway - “Oleo-extraction of Biodegradable Microplastics in Compost”
Sevil Vafadar Afshar, PhD, Technical University of Denmark - “Tracking Microplastics in Biota: Hands-On Sampling and Extraction Techniques”
Eleni Christoforou, PhD, Cyprus Marine & Maritime Institute
The workshop concluded with an interactive Q&A and brainstorming session, fostering discussion, experience sharing, and collaboration among participants. Overall, the event supported the project’s objectives of promoting harmonised methodologies, strengthening research capacity, and ensuring the wide dissemination of best practices within the European research community.
Workshop Recordings
In line with the project’s commitment to open access and transparency, the workshop recordings are available on our YouTube channel: