Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Portable On-Site Optical Detection and Quantification of Microplastics

Researchers built a portable, on-site optical device to detect and quantify microplastics in water. The device addresses the challenge of detecting small, often translucent particles without a laboratory setting. Portable microplastic detection tools could enable real-time monitoring in the field, supporting faster environmental assessments.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A prototype of a portable optical sensor for the detection of transparent and translucent microplastics in freshwater

Researchers developed a portable prototype optical sensor capable of detecting transparent and translucent microplastics in freshwater by simultaneously measuring specular laser light reflection and transmission, offering a feasibility pathway for field-deployable microplastic monitoring.

2019 Chemosphere 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Design and Development of an Advanced Sensor Prototype for the Detection of Microplastics

Researchers designed and developed an advanced sensor prototype for detecting microplastics in water, combining spectroscopic and signal processing technologies into a portable device. The prototype demonstrated accurate microplastic identification across multiple polymer types in field conditions.

2024 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Optical System for In-situ Detection of Microplastics

Researchers developed a portable optical system capable of detecting, identifying, continuously monitoring, and quantifying microplastics in situ at natural water bodies. The system uses optical techniques to observe the temporal behavior of microplastic concentrations at fixed locations, enabling real-time environmental monitoring without sample collection and laboratory processing.

2024
Article Tier 2

On optical sensing of surface roughness of flat and curved microplastics in water

Researchers developed and tested an optical sensor prototype capable of detecting microplastic particles of different shapes and surface textures in water by measuring light reflection patterns. The sensor offers a potential path to faster, in-situ microplastic detection without requiring chemical analysis.

2020 Chemosphere 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Optical measurement technologies for detecting low levels of pollution and identifying microplastics in water

Researchers reviewed optical technologies for detecting and identifying microplastics in water, experimentally characterizing the fluorescence spectra of PE and PET microplastic samples under 365 nm excitation and identifying spectral bands enabling identification of different polymer types, then proposing a comprehensive hardware solution using a fluorescent probe for microplastic visualization.

2024
Article Tier 2

Optical detection of microplastics in water

Researchers developed a low-cost portable Raman spectrometer prototype costing less than $370 for detecting microplastics in water. The device successfully detected microplastics at concentrations below 0.015% w/v, suggesting it could serve as an accessible monitoring tool for microplastic contamination in drinking water and environmental samples worldwide.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 63 citations
Article Tier 2

A field deployable imaging system for detecting microplastics in the aquatic environment

Researchers built a portable imaging system for detecting microplastics in water that can be deployed directly in the field rather than requiring laboratory analysis. The system uses a de-scattering algorithm to produce clear images even in turbid water conditions and can identify particles as small as 50 micrometers. This low-cost tool could make routine microplastic monitoring of rivers, lakes, and coastal waters much more practical and accessible.

2024 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Embedded Optical Sensor System for Bisphenol A Detection

Researchers developed a portable optical sensor system for detecting both microplastics and bisphenol A (BPA) in water using spectroscopy and fluorescence principles. Early testing showed the sensor can detect BPA at nanomolar concentrations and identify microplastics as small as a few micrometers, with results comparable to established laboratory methods like HPLC and FTIR spectroscopy.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Embedded Optical Sensor System for Bisphenol A Detection

Researchers developed a portable optical sensor system for detecting both microplastics and bisphenol A (BPA) in water using spectroscopy and fluorescence principles. Early testing showed the sensor can detect BPA at nanomolar concentrations and identify microplastics as small as a few micrometers, with results comparable to established laboratory methods like HPLC and FTIR spectroscopy.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Towards a low-cost, rapid microplastic optical detection system using fluorescent staining through Nile Red for in situ ocean deployment

This study presents a proof-of-concept for a portable, low-cost microplastic detection device that uses fluorescent dye (Nile Red) and a simple optical sensor to detect plastic particles in water. The system produced a signal that scaled linearly with microplastic concentration in lab tests. Development of cheap, field-deployable sensors like this could dramatically improve our ability to monitor microplastic pollution in real time across oceans and waterways, where current lab-based methods are too expensive and slow for widespread use.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards the Development of Portable and In Situ Optical Devices for Detection of Micro-and Nanoplastics in Water: A Review on the Current Status

This review surveys the development of portable and in-situ optical devices for detecting micro- and nanoplastics in water, as most current detection methods are laboratory-based. Researchers evaluated emerging technologies including portable Raman and infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence-based sensors, and smartphone-integrated detection systems. The study identifies key technical challenges that must be overcome to enable real-time, field-based monitoring of plastic pollution in water.

2021 Polymers 89 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic identification in marine environments: A low-cost and effective approach based on transmitted light measurements

Researchers designed a low-cost microplastic detection system using a standard LCD panel and a digital USB microscope to measure transmitted light through seawater samples. The compact system demonstrated effective detection and quantification of microplastics without the need for expensive laboratory instrumentation.

2024 ACTA IMEKO 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Field-Portable Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Environments: A Perspective on Emerging Techniques

This review examines emerging field-portable technologies for detecting and quantifying microplastics in aqueous environments, discussing optical, spectroscopic, and electrochemical sensing approaches. Researchers identify the lack of a standardized, rapid on-site method as the primary bottleneck limiting accurate real-world microplastic monitoring.

2021 Sensors 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Outlook on optical identification of micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments

Researchers studied the optical properties of micro- and nanoplastics and evaluated near-infrared spectroscopy as a detection method for plastic particles in water, finding that optical techniques show promise for rapid, non-destructive identification. Improved optical detection methods could enable faster and more cost-effective monitoring of plastic pollution in aquatic environments.

2018 Chemosphere 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Probing Individual Particles in Aquatic Suspensions by Simultaneously Measuring Polarized Light Scattering and Fluorescence

Researchers developed a portable optical sensor that simultaneously measures polarized light scattering and fluorescence from individual particles in water, enabling classification of microplastics versus microalgae in situ. This dual-measurement approach improves particle identification accuracy compared to single-measurement methods.

2021 Biosensors 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Optofluidic light-droplet interaction for rapidly assessing the presence of plastic microspheres within aqueous suspensions

Scientists developed a new device that can quickly detect tiny plastic particles (called microplastics) in water by shining light through water droplets and measuring how much light gets blocked. The device can spot extremely small amounts of plastic pollution - even particles smaller than the width of a human hair. This technology could help us better monitor plastic contamination in drinking water and the environment, which is important since these tiny plastics can harm both ecosystems and human health.

2026 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Laser beam scattering for the detection of flat, curved, smooth, and rough microplastics in water

Researchers demonstrated that laser beam scattering using a low-cost prototype sensor can detect microplastic particles of varying shapes — flat, curved, smooth, and rough — in water, offering a potential foundation for affordable in-situ optical monitoring tools. The study advances understanding of light-microplastic interactions needed to design practical field detection systems.

2020 Optical Review 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimized Classification of Suspended Particles in Seawater by Dense Sampling of Polarized Light Pulses

Researchers developed an optical method using polarized light pulses to classify suspended particles in seawater, aiming to distinguish microplastics from natural particles like algae in situ. A reliable in-water optical sensor for microplastics would greatly improve environmental monitoring capability.

2021 Sensors 6 citations
Article Tier 2

An Artificial Intelligence based Optical Sensor for Microplastic Detection in Seawater

Researchers developed an AI-based optical sensor system combining an optical detection subsystem and an image acquisition subsystem to detect and identify microplastic particles in seawater, distinguishing them from naturally occurring marine particles. The device applies AI algorithms to analyze consecutive image frames and classify particles as microplastic or non-microplastic, with the full system housed in two portable cases.

2023 3 citations