Enhancing Automatic Microplastic Detection Through Density Separation and HSV Color Processing

Microplastics are a growing concern in the environment due to their diverse sources and potential threats to aquatic ecosystems and human health. Detecting microplastics poses challenges due to their small size and varied origins, requiring a combination of methods such as visual inspection, chemical analysis, microscopy, density separation, and automated imaging systems for accurate detection and characterization. Density separation, utilizing differences in density between microplastics and other materials, is a popular method for efficient isolation, followed by digital image processing for further analysis. Leveraging the HSV color space, which separates color and intensity, offers a promising approach for microplastic detection by assessing hue, saturation, and value components in images. This integration of density separation and HSV color processing provides a comprehensive framework for microplastic detection and analysis. In our report, we present a novel HSV color processing method designed to enhance microplastics detection through density separation. We validate the effectiveness of our approach by comparing the results with microplastics identified by environmental experts.