Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Automated Plastic Waste Detection Using Advanced Deep Learning Frameworks

Researchers developed a deep learning system using advanced neural network frameworks for automated detection and classification of plastic waste from images, achieving high accuracy in identifying multiple plastic types to support environmental monitoring and waste sorting.

2025
Article Tier 2

A Smart Garbage Classification based on Deep Learning

Researchers developed an AI-powered garbage classification system using deep learning to automatically sort waste categories. Accurate automated waste sorting could improve plastic recycling rates, reducing the amount of plastic that eventually breaks down into environmental microplastics.

2023 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

An Automatic Garbage Classification System Based on Deep Learning

Researchers developed an automated garbage classification system using a deep learning algorithm based on ResNet-34, achieving 99% classification accuracy with a processing time of under one second per item. Automated waste sorting technology like this could improve the efficiency of plastic waste recovery and reduce mismanaged plastic that eventually becomes environmental pollution.

2020 IEEE Access 123 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancing Plastic Waste Classification and Recycling Efficiency: Integrating Image Sensors and Deep Learning Algorithms

Researchers developed a deep learning approach combined with image sensors to improve plastic waste classification and recycling efficiency. The study demonstrates that this method can distinguish between chemically similar plastics like PET and PET-G that conventional near-infrared spectroscopy struggles to differentiate, potentially improving automated sorting systems.

2023 Applied Sciences 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing Waste Management with a Deep Learning-based Automatic Garbage Classifier

This paper is not about microplastics; it presents a deep learning convolutional neural network system for automatically classifying garbage by material type to improve waste sorting efficiency and reduce the labor burden of manual waste management.

2023 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Reliable and Robust Deep Learning Model for Effective Recyclable Waste Classification

Researchers developed a deep learning computer model that can sort waste into six categories, including plastic, with 95% accuracy. While this is a waste management technology rather than a health study, better automated waste sorting could help keep more plastics out of the environment where they break down into microplastics. Improved recycling through AI-powered sorting is one practical step toward reducing the microplastic pollution that eventually reaches people.

2024 IEEE Access 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Projector deep feature extraction-based garbage image classification model using underwater images

Researchers developed a deep learning model using projector-based feature extraction to classify underwater garbage images, achieving high accuracy in identifying marine plastic debris and other waste types for automated ocean pollution monitoring.

2024 Multimedia Tools and Applications 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Automated micro-plastic detection and classification using deep convolution neural network pre-trained models and transfer learning

Researchers compared several artificial intelligence models for automatically detecting and classifying microplastics into categories like beads, fibers, and fragments from images. While the models performed well at identifying fiber-type microplastics, they struggled with beads and fragments, highlighting the need for better training data and techniques. Improving automated detection is important because it could enable faster, cheaper environmental monitoring of microplastic contamination in water and food sources.

2025 AIP Advances 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Waste on Water Surfaces Detection Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Researchers evaluated state-of-the-art convolutional neural network architectures for automatically detecting plastic waste on water surfaces, training models on a dataset representing four categories of plastic litter including plastic bags. The study benchmarked multiple CNN object detection models following extensive dataset preprocessing to determine the most effective approach for automated plastic pollution identification.

2024
Article Tier 2

Application of AI-Enabled Computer Vision Technology for Segregation of Industrial Plastic Wastes

Researchers developed an AI-powered computer vision system to segregate mixed industrial plastic wastes by polymer type, addressing a key barrier to effective plastic recycling. The system achieved high classification accuracy across common plastic categories, demonstrating that machine vision can improve sorting efficiency and recycled plastic quality.

2025 Apple Academic Press eBooks
Article Tier 2

Deep Learning Approaches for Detection and Classification of Microplastics in Water for Clean Water Management

Researchers applied dual deep learning models (YOLOv8, YOLOv11, and several CNN architectures) to detect and classify microplastics in water, finding that these AI approaches could accurately identify plastic types across both aquatic and non-aquatic datasets.

2025
Article Tier 2

The predictive model for COVID-19 pandemic plastic pollution by using deep learning method

Researchers built a deep learning model to predict how pandemic-related plastic waste — masks, gloves, and sanitizer bottles — would spread as pollution across Iranian megacities during COVID-19. Their neural network outperformed six other modeling methods, offering a tool for governments to manage hazardous plastic waste during future health crises.

2023 Scientific Reports 43 citations
Article Tier 2

A Deep Learning Approach for Microplastic Segmentation in Microscopic Images

Researchers developed a deep learning model for automated segmentation and classification of microplastics in microscopic images, identifying five distinct categories including fibers, fragments, spheres, foam, and film. The model achieved high accuracy while maintaining low computational requirements, making it suitable for high-throughput deployment in environmental monitoring. The study offers a tool that could help overcome the measurement bottleneck in microplastic characterization for toxicological and risk assessment studies.

2025 Toxics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Deep learning analysis for rapid detection and classification of household plastics based on Raman spectroscopy

Researchers developed a deep learning system that can identify eight common household plastic types using Raman spectroscopy with 97% accuracy. This is faster and more reliable than traditional methods for classifying plastics. Better plastic identification tools like this are important for microplastic research because they allow scientists to quickly determine what types of plastic particles are contaminating environmental and food samples.

2024 Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Deep-Feature-Based Approach to Marine Debris Classification

This study applied deep learning to classify marine debris from images, demonstrating that feature-based neural network approaches can effectively distinguish plastic types and other debris categories to support automated ocean monitoring.

2021 Applied Sciences 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Depth-Wise Separable Convolution Attention Module for Garbage Image Classification

Researchers developed a depth-wise separable convolution attention module for classifying garbage images using deep learning. The study proposed an improved convolutional neural network architecture that enhances classification accuracy while reducing computational complexity. The findings suggest that automated image-based waste sorting using AI could improve efficiency over manual garbage classification methods.

2022 Sustainability 49 citations
Article Tier 2

PBM‐YOLO: A Performance Balanced Floating Garbage Detection Model for Water Surface Environments

Researchers developed PBM-YOLO, a performance-balanced deep learning model for detecting floating garbage including plastic debris on water surfaces, optimising the architecture to balance detection accuracy and computational efficiency for practical deployment in ecological protection and waterway resource recycling applications.

2025 IET Image Processing
Article Tier 2

Deep learning-powered efficient characterization and quantification of microplastics

Researchers developed an artificial intelligence framework that uses deep learning to automatically identify and quantify microplastics from infrared spectra and visual images. The system achieved high accuracy in classifying plastic types and counting particles, dramatically reducing the time needed compared to manual analysis. This tool could make large-scale microplastic monitoring faster and more consistent across different research laboratories.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Transfer learning enables robust prediction of cellular toxicity from environmental micro- and nanoplastics

Researchers developed a transfer learning approach to predict cellular toxicity from micro- and nanoplastics, overcoming the challenge of limited experimental data. By pre-training a model on a large nanoparticle dataset and fine-tuning it on plastic-specific data, they achieved strong predictive accuracy. The tool allows researchers to estimate the toxicity of various plastic particles based on their physical and chemical properties without extensive new experiments.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comparative Study of Machine Learning and Deep Learning Models for Microplastic Classification using FTIR Spectra

Researchers compared machine learning and deep learning models for classifying microplastics using FTIR spectra, evaluating multiple algorithmic approaches against standardised spectral datasets. The study assessed classification accuracy and computational efficiency, identifying which model architectures best discriminate between polymer types in environmental microplastic samples.

2023 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Computer vision segmentation model—deep learning for categorizing microplastic debris

Researchers developed a deep learning computer vision model for automatically categorizing beached microplastic debris from images. The segmentation model was trained to identify and classify different types of microplastic particles, reducing the need for time-consuming manual counting and laboratory analysis. The study suggests that automated image-based detection could enable more scalable and consistent monitoring of microplastic pollution along coastlines.

2024 Frontiers in Environmental Science 10 citations
Article Tier 2

SpectraNet: A unified deep learning framework for infrared spectroscopy-based prediction of plastic recyclability, type classification, and microplastic identification

Researchers built SpectraNet, a deep learning framework using mid-infrared spectroscopy to perform three tasks—plastic recyclability assessment, polymer type classification, and microplastic identification—supported by an open-access infrared spectral database of plastics and microplastics.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Efficient and accurate microplastics identification and segmentation in urban waters using convolutional neural networks

Researchers developed convolutional neural network models for efficiently identifying and segmenting microplastics in urban water samples from southern China. The study found that deep learning approaches can significantly reduce the time and labor required for microplastic identification compared to manual methods, offering a scalable tool for monitoring microplastic pollution in urban waterways.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Deep learning for chemometric analysis of plastic spectral data from infrared and Raman databases

A novel deep learning architecture called PolymerSpectraDecisionNet was trained to identify common recyclable plastics from infrared and Raman spectral databases. The model outperformed conventional chemometric methods for polymer classification and was designed to handle real-world spectral variability relevant to the plastics recycling industry.

2022 Resources Conservation and Recycling 55 citations