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Application of confocal laser Raman spectroscopy on marine sediment microplastics
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Researchers developed a simplified Raman spectroscopy method to detect microplastics as small as 10 micrometers in marine sediment samples, finding that polypropylene and polyethylene dominated the particles found in Huiquan Bay — with most particles too small to be caught by conventional methods.
Marine sediment is the primary sink of microplastics and is an indicator of pollution levels. However, although there are well-developed detection methods, detection is rarely focused on low-micrometer-sized particles, mainly due to technique limitations. In this study, a simplified process omitting digestion procedures was developed to pretreat microplastics obtained from marine sediment and was coupled with micro-Raman spectroscopy to identify microplastics. Based on the overall analysis of the characteristic peak assignments, a Raman spectral reference library was constructed for 18 types of plastic. In addition, the effects of the measurement parameters were systematically described. Field research was then conducted to validate the developed process and investigate microplastic contamination in Huiquan Bay, Qingdao, China. This simplified process could retain the original appearance of microparticles and accomplish the detection of <500 μm-sized microplastics in environmental samples. Microplastics in the size range of 10–150 μm accounted for 76% of all microplastics, and 56% of the total particles was particles smaller than 50 μm. Polypropylene (42%) and polyethylene (20%) were predominant components of the particles. In particular, polypropylene particles smaller than 10 μm were identified in marine sediment. This work demonstrates that Raman spectroscopy is not only an effective tool for detecting environmental particles but also highly applicable for identifying particles extracted from marine sediment.
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Raman microscopy has emerged as a powerful tool for identifying and characterizing microplastics at small particle sizes that are difficult to analyze with other methods, enabling more accurate quantification in environmental samples. Improving characterization techniques is critical because smaller microplastic particles are more numerous and more likely to be ingested by a wider range of organisms, including humans.
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Raman microscopy enables reliable identification and quantification of microplastics in environmental samples, with smaller particles posing greater ecological risk due to their higher numbers and broader species exposure. Standardizing this analytical technique is essential for producing comparable data across studies and informing effective pollution monitoring.
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Researchers reviewed Raman spectroscopy-based approaches — including confocal Raman microscopy, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and automated imaging — for identifying and characterizing microplastics in environmental samples, highlighting their superior chemical specificity compared to FTIR for sub-10-μm particles. Accurate chemical identification of microplastics at the nanoscale is foundational for both environmental monitoring and toxicological research, as particle composition (polymer type and additives) strongly influences biological harm.
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This study evaluated micro-Raman spectroscopy as an analytical tool for detecting and characterizing microplastics in drinking water, examining both its capabilities and practical limitations for routine water quality monitoring. Given that microplastics are now found throughout water treatment chains, establishing reliable detection methods is a critical step toward understanding human ingestion exposure from tap and bottled water.
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