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A rapid-screening approach to detect and quantify microplastics based on fluorescent tagging with Nile Red
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Researchers developed a rapid fluorescent screening method using Nile Red dye to detect and quantify microplastics in environmental samples, finding it significantly faster than conventional methods while maintaining reasonable accuracy.
A new approach is presented for analysis of microplastics in environmental samples, based on selective fluorescent staining using Nile Red (NR), followed by density-based extraction and filtration. The dye adsorbs onto plastic surfaces and renders them fluorescent when irradiated with blue light. Fluorescence emission is detected using simple photography through an orange filter. Image-analysis allows fluorescent particles to be identified and counted. Magnified images can be recorded and tiled to cover the whole filter area, allowing particles down to a few micrometres to be detected. The solvatochromic nature of Nile Red also offers the possibility of plastic categorisation based on surface polarity characteristics of identified particles. This article details the development of this staining method and its initial cross-validation by comparison with infrared (IR) microscopy. Microplastics of different sizes could be detected and counted in marine sediment samples. The fluorescence staining identified the same particles as those found by scanning a filter area with IR-microscopy.
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Identification and Quantification of Microplastics Using Nile Red Staining
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This study developed a rapid fluorescent staining method using the dye Nile Red to identify and quantify microplastics in environmental samples, offering an alternative to slower and more expensive spectroscopic techniques. Nile Red staining provides a faster way to differentiate microplastics from natural particles in large sample sets, improving throughput for environmental monitoring.
Potential for Nile red dye-based analysis of microplastics from oceanic samples
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Researchers evaluated the Nile red fluorescent dye method for detecting and characterizing microplastics in ocean water samples, assessing its effectiveness compared to other analytical techniques. The method shows promise as a faster, lower-cost approach to large-scale microplastic monitoring.
Identification and quantification of microplastics using Nile Red staining
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Researchers tested Nile Red staining as a method for identifying and quantifying microplastics in environmental samples, finding it useful for rapid screening but noting limitations in distinguishing plastics from non-plastic particles.
Rapid detection of microplastic contamination using Nile red fluorescent tagging
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Researchers developed a rapid microplastic detection method using Nile Red (NR) fluorescent staining combined with zinc chloride density-based extraction and filtration for analysis of coastal marine sediment samples. The approach was cross-validated against conventional light microscopy, demonstrating improved speed and sensitivity for identifying microplastics of various sizes in environmental sediment matrices.
Microplastic detection and identification by Nile red staining: Towards a semi-automated, cost- and time-effective technique
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Researchers developed a semi-automated, cost-effective method for microplastic detection using Nile red fluorescent staining, showing it can significantly reduce the time and expense of identifying microplastics compared to traditional spectroscopic approaches.
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