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A Rapid One-step Field-based Detection Method for Nanoplastics in Water
Summary
Scientists have created a fast, portable test that can detect nanoplastics (plastic particles too small to see) in water in just 10 minutes, using a special dye and a compact device. This matters because right now it's hard to know where nanoplastic pollution is coming from or how much is in our water supplies, this tool could help track contamination in wastewater and rivers, which is an important step toward understanding and reducing our exposure to these tiny particles.
The widespread use of plastics has raised concerns about their persistence in aquatic and terrestrial environments.Tiny plastic particles, microplastics, and nanoplastics generated due to degradation lead to real environmental problems.Rapid identification of potential hotspots of nanoplastics contamination has been challenging due to a lack of field-based detection methods.This study aimed to develop a single-step portable method to detect nanoplastics in water samples.Using a customdesigned fluorometer, an optimized Nile Red-based method has been successfully extended to detect nanoplastics within 10 minutes from wastewater samples with a limit of detection of 35 µg/mL.This method can be broadly used to monitor nanoplastic load during wastewater treatment and in different surface water streams which drain into urban watersheds.