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Polyethylene Identification in Ocean Water Samples by Means of 50 Kev Energy Electron Beam

Preprints.org 2020 3 citations

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This study demonstrated a new electron beam methodology for detecting trace polyethylene microplastics in ocean water samples. The approach uses 50 keV electrons to analyze photon spectra and detect characteristic signals from plastic contamination at low concentrations.

Polymers
Study Type Environmental

The study presented hereafter shows a new methodology to reveal traces of polyethylene (the most common microplastic particles, known as a structure of C2H4) in a sample of ocean water by the irradiation of a 50 keV, 1 µA electron beam. This is performed by analyzing the photon (produced by the electrons in water ) fluxes and spectra (i.e. fluxes as a function of photon energy) at different types of contaminated water with an adequate device and in particular looking at the peculiar interactions of electrons/photons with the potential abnormal atomic hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), carbon (C), phosphorus (P) compositions present in the water, as a function of living and not living organic organisms with a PO4 group RNA/DNA strands in a cluster configuration through a volumetric cells grid.

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