Field-Portable Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Environments: A Perspective on Emerging Techniques
Microplastics (MPs) have been found in aqueous environments ranging from rural ponds and lakes to the deep ocean. Despite the ubiquity of MPs, our ability to characterize MPs in the environment is limited by the lack of technologies for rapidly and accurately identifying and quantifying MPs. Althoug...
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Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
2021
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/133197 |
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author | Blevins, Morgan G. Allen, Harry L. Colson, Beckett C. Cook, Anna-Marie Greenbaum, Alexandra Z. Hemami, Sheila S. Hollmann, Joseph Kim, Ernest LaRocca, Ava A. Markoski, Kenneth A. Miraglia, Peter Mott, Vienna L. Robberson, William M. Santos, Jose A. Sprachman, Melissa M. Swierk, Patricia Tate, Steven Witinski, Mark F. Kratchman, Louis B. Michel, Anna P. M. |
author2 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |
author_facet | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Blevins, Morgan G. Allen, Harry L. Colson, Beckett C. Cook, Anna-Marie Greenbaum, Alexandra Z. Hemami, Sheila S. Hollmann, Joseph Kim, Ernest LaRocca, Ava A. Markoski, Kenneth A. Miraglia, Peter Mott, Vienna L. Robberson, William M. Santos, Jose A. Sprachman, Melissa M. Swierk, Patricia Tate, Steven Witinski, Mark F. Kratchman, Louis B. Michel, Anna P. M. |
author_sort | Blevins, Morgan G. |
collection | MIT |
description | Microplastics (MPs) have been found in aqueous environments ranging from rural ponds and lakes to the deep ocean. Despite the ubiquity of MPs, our ability to characterize MPs in the environment is limited by the lack of technologies for rapidly and accurately identifying and quantifying MPs. Although standards exist for MP sample collection and preparation, methods of MP analysis vary considerably and produce data with a broad range of data content and quality. The need for extensive analysis-specific sample preparation in current technology approaches has hindered the emergence of a single technique which can operate on aqueous samples in the field, rather than on dried laboratory preparations. In this perspective, we consider MP measurement technologies with a focus on both their eventual field-deployability and their respective data products (e.g., MP particle count, size, and/or polymer type). We present preliminary demonstrations of several prospective MP measurement techniques, with an eye towards developing a solution or solutions that can transition from the laboratory to the field. Specifically, experimental results are presented from multiple prototype systems that measure various physical properties of MPs: pyrolysis-differential mobility spectroscopy, short-wave infrared imaging, aqueous Nile Red labeling and counting, acoustophoresis, ultrasound, impedance spectroscopy, and dielectrophoresis. |
first_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:58:04Z |
format | Article |
id | mit-1721.1/133197 |
institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
last_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:58:04Z |
publishDate | 2021 |
publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
record_format | dspace |
spelling | mit-1721.1/1331972023-08-11T17:31:00Z Field-Portable Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Environments: A Perspective on Emerging Techniques Blevins, Morgan G. Allen, Harry L. Colson, Beckett C. Cook, Anna-Marie Greenbaum, Alexandra Z. Hemami, Sheila S. Hollmann, Joseph Kim, Ernest LaRocca, Ava A. Markoski, Kenneth A. Miraglia, Peter Mott, Vienna L. Robberson, William M. Santos, Jose A. Sprachman, Melissa M. Swierk, Patricia Tate, Steven Witinski, Mark F. Kratchman, Louis B. Michel, Anna P. M. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering Microplastics (MPs) have been found in aqueous environments ranging from rural ponds and lakes to the deep ocean. Despite the ubiquity of MPs, our ability to characterize MPs in the environment is limited by the lack of technologies for rapidly and accurately identifying and quantifying MPs. Although standards exist for MP sample collection and preparation, methods of MP analysis vary considerably and produce data with a broad range of data content and quality. The need for extensive analysis-specific sample preparation in current technology approaches has hindered the emergence of a single technique which can operate on aqueous samples in the field, rather than on dried laboratory preparations. In this perspective, we consider MP measurement technologies with a focus on both their eventual field-deployability and their respective data products (e.g., MP particle count, size, and/or polymer type). We present preliminary demonstrations of several prospective MP measurement techniques, with an eye towards developing a solution or solutions that can transition from the laboratory to the field. Specifically, experimental results are presented from multiple prototype systems that measure various physical properties of MPs: pyrolysis-differential mobility spectroscopy, short-wave infrared imaging, aqueous Nile Red labeling and counting, acoustophoresis, ultrasound, impedance spectroscopy, and dielectrophoresis. 2021-10-27T18:17:57Z 2021-10-27T18:17:57Z 2021-05-19 2021-05-24T15:04:13Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/133197 Sensors 21 (10): 3532 (2021) PUBLISHER_CC http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s21103532 Creative Commons Attribution https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ application/pdf Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
spellingShingle | Blevins, Morgan G. Allen, Harry L. Colson, Beckett C. Cook, Anna-Marie Greenbaum, Alexandra Z. Hemami, Sheila S. Hollmann, Joseph Kim, Ernest LaRocca, Ava A. Markoski, Kenneth A. Miraglia, Peter Mott, Vienna L. Robberson, William M. Santos, Jose A. Sprachman, Melissa M. Swierk, Patricia Tate, Steven Witinski, Mark F. Kratchman, Louis B. Michel, Anna P. M. Field-Portable Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Environments: A Perspective on Emerging Techniques |
title | Field-Portable Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Environments: A Perspective on Emerging Techniques |
title_full | Field-Portable Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Environments: A Perspective on Emerging Techniques |
title_fullStr | Field-Portable Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Environments: A Perspective on Emerging Techniques |
title_full_unstemmed | Field-Portable Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Environments: A Perspective on Emerging Techniques |
title_short | Field-Portable Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Environments: A Perspective on Emerging Techniques |
title_sort | field portable microplastic sensing in aqueous environments a perspective on emerging techniques |
url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/133197 |
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