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Characterization of microplastic litter from oceans by an innovative approach based on hyperspectral imaging
Summary
Hyperspectral imaging was developed as an innovative method for characterizing marine microplastic litter collected from diverse ocean regions including the Arctic and Mediterranean, enabling rapid spectral mapping of polymer composition across samples. The approach offers a high-throughput alternative to conventional spectroscopic methods for analyzing large numbers of environmental microplastic samples.
An innovative approach, based on HyperSpectral Imaging (HSI), was developed in order to set up an efficient method to analyze marine microplastic litter. HSI was applied to samples collected by surface-trawling plankton nets from several parts of the world (i.e. Arctic, Mediterranean, South Atlantic and North Pacific). Reliable information on abundance, size, shape and polymer type for the whole ensemble of plastic particles in each sample was retrieved from single hyperspectral images. The simultaneous characterization of the polymeric composition of the plastic debris represents an important analytical advantage considering that this information, and even the validation of the plastic nature of the small debris, is a common flaw in the analysis of marine microplastic pollution. HSI was revealed as a rapid, non-invasive, non-destructive and reliable technology for the characterization of the microplastic waste, opening a promising way for improving the plastic pollution monitoring.