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Discrete sensors to detect microplastics in environment
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This review surveys discrete sensor technologies — including optical, resonance, autonomous, and biosensors — developed for in situ detection of microplastics in environmental samples, highlighting the challenges posed by particle size, transparency, and varying surface structures. Rapid, field-deployable microplastic detection tools are essential for real-time environmental monitoring, which is a prerequisite for understanding pollution hotspots and assessing human exposure risks.
The rise of microplastic waste is an alarming issue and poses a worldwide environmental threat. Due to their shapes, sizes, translucency or transparency, surface structure, and atmospheric conditions, in situ identification of these small particles is challenging. This review paper compiles various sensors like autonomous sensors, optical sensors, resonance sensors, biosensor, etc., developed and available for detecting microplastics in environmental reservoirs. Majority of these sensors have done a feasibility study for microplastics detection using artificially created samples of nylon, translucent LDPE (low-density polyethylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PS (polystyrene).
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