sustainability Review Sample Preparation Techniques for the Analysis of Microplastics in Soil—A Review Daniela Thomas 1,* , Berit Schütze 1,2, Wiebke Mareile Heinze 3 and Zacharias Steinmetz 4,* 1 Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Bundesallee 47, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany 2 Institute of Environmental and Sustainable Chemistry, Technical University of Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany;
[email protected] 3 Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7014, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden;
[email protected] 4 iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Group of Environmental and Soil Chemistry, University of Koblenz–Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau, Germany * Correspondence:
[email protected] (D.T.);
[email protected] (Z.S.) Received: 30 September 2020; Accepted: 29 October 2020; Published: 31 October 2020 Abstract: Although most plastic pollution originates on land, current research largely remains focused on aquatic ecosystems. Studies pioneering terrestrial microplastic research have adapted analytical methods from aquatic research without acknowledging the complex nature of soil. Meanwhile, novel methods have been developed and further refined. However, methodical inconsistencies still challenge a comprehensive understanding of microplastic occurrence and fate in and on soil. This review aims to disentangle the variety of state-of-the-art sample preparation techniques