How to identify colorless microplastic directly in the beach sand in a few minutes?

Summary

A high-throughput screening technique using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging combined with chemometrics enables rapid automated identification of colorless microplastics directly in beach sand within minutes. This method addresses a major detection gap since colorless particles are visually indistinguishable from sand grains, meaning previous surveys have likely underreported the true abundance of microplastic contamination in coastal environments.