Quantitative Detection of Microplastics in Water through Fluorescence Signal Analysis
Microplastics (MPs) have recently been acknowledged as a new major and ubiquitous environmental pollutant with still unclear, yet potentially high, risks for different ecosystems and human health. Nevertheless, quantitative identification protocols rely on long and subjective visual counting necessa...
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| Natura: | Articolo |
| Lingua: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Serie: | Photonics |
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| Accesso online: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/10/5/508 |
| _version_ | 1827740335312207872 |
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| author | Roberto Pizzoferrato Yuliu Li Eleonora Nicolai |
| author_facet | Roberto Pizzoferrato Yuliu Li Eleonora Nicolai |
| author_sort | Roberto Pizzoferrato |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microplastics (MPs) have recently been acknowledged as a new major and ubiquitous environmental pollutant with still unclear, yet potentially high, risks for different ecosystems and human health. Nevertheless, quantitative identification protocols rely on long and subjective visual counting necessarily performed on microscopes by well-trained operators. In this study, an automatic, fast, portable, and inexpensive method for the quantitative detection of MPs in water is proposed. The system is based on the typical optical setup of a fluorescence confocal microscope specifically adapted to automatically count dye-stained MPs in flowing liquids using a low-power laser beam. The fluorescence pulses emitted by flowing MPs are revealed and processed by a specific software using a pattern recognition algorithm to discriminate and count real fluorescence pulses out of noise fluctuations. The system was calibrated with commercial orange fluorescent 10 µm and 1 µm polystyrene microspheres, and remarkable agreement with theoretical predictions was obtained regarding different parameters. Tests were also performed with laboratory-prepared MPs dispersed in different types of real water samples. In this case, the agreement with theory was slightly worse and differences found in the quantitative results require further investigation. However, the present study demonstrated the proof of concept of a method for quick automated MP counting in water. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:23:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-85a6d3ea4c734aecbc3c28e2baf62551 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-6732 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:23:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Photonics |
| spelling | doaj.art-85a6d3ea4c734aecbc3c28e2baf625512023-11-18T02:53:45ZengMDPI AGPhotonics2304-67322023-04-0110550810.3390/photonics10050508Quantitative Detection of Microplastics in Water through Fluorescence Signal AnalysisRoberto Pizzoferrato0Yuliu Li1Eleonora Nicolai2Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, ItalyMicroplastics (MPs) have recently been acknowledged as a new major and ubiquitous environmental pollutant with still unclear, yet potentially high, risks for different ecosystems and human health. Nevertheless, quantitative identification protocols rely on long and subjective visual counting necessarily performed on microscopes by well-trained operators. In this study, an automatic, fast, portable, and inexpensive method for the quantitative detection of MPs in water is proposed. The system is based on the typical optical setup of a fluorescence confocal microscope specifically adapted to automatically count dye-stained MPs in flowing liquids using a low-power laser beam. The fluorescence pulses emitted by flowing MPs are revealed and processed by a specific software using a pattern recognition algorithm to discriminate and count real fluorescence pulses out of noise fluctuations. The system was calibrated with commercial orange fluorescent 10 µm and 1 µm polystyrene microspheres, and remarkable agreement with theoretical predictions was obtained regarding different parameters. Tests were also performed with laboratory-prepared MPs dispersed in different types of real water samples. In this case, the agreement with theory was slightly worse and differences found in the quantitative results require further investigation. However, the present study demonstrated the proof of concept of a method for quick automated MP counting in water.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/10/5/508fluorescencemicroplasticsMPsNile Redwater contaminantstap water |
| spellingShingle | Roberto Pizzoferrato Yuliu Li Eleonora Nicolai Quantitative Detection of Microplastics in Water through Fluorescence Signal Analysis Photonics fluorescence microplastics MPs Nile Red water contaminants tap water |
| title | Quantitative Detection of Microplastics in Water through Fluorescence Signal Analysis |
| title_full | Quantitative Detection of Microplastics in Water through Fluorescence Signal Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Quantitative Detection of Microplastics in Water through Fluorescence Signal Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantitative Detection of Microplastics in Water through Fluorescence Signal Analysis |
| title_short | Quantitative Detection of Microplastics in Water through Fluorescence Signal Analysis |
| title_sort | quantitative detection of microplastics in water through fluorescence signal analysis |
| topic | fluorescence microplastics MPs Nile Red water contaminants tap water |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/10/5/508 |
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