Health Threats | A drop of water can measure microplastics in as little as 20 minutes

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go through Yijie Technology August 30, 2024

MicroplasticsIt is a degradable plastic material that is invisible to the naked eye and exists in food, water and air, posing a risk to food, ecology and human health. University of British Columbia (UBC)Research and DevelopmentA low-cost portable tool that uses fluorescent markers combined with a mobile phone app can accurately measure microplastics in disposable cups, plastic bottles, etc. It can evaluate the microplastic readings of samples within 20 minutes, with a cost of as low as US$0.015 (approximately HK$0.117) per test. The paper was published inAcademic Journal ACS Sensors.

UBC has developed a microplastic detection tool that costs as little as $0.015 per test. (Image provided by UBC)

The researchers first used 3D printing technology to create a small biodegradable box that contains a wireless digital microscope, a green LED light, and an excitation filter. To measure plastic, the team used a machine learning algorithm to modify commercial mathematical softwareMATLABand then combined it with image capture software. After adding tannic acid, zirconium atoms and rhodamine B solution to a liquid sample as small as a drop of water, microplastics ranging in size from 50 nanometers to 10 microns will glow under green LED lights. At this time, using a mobile phone application, after analyzing the fluorescent image of the microscope, the size and number of colloid particles can be calculated.

Using fluorescent markers combined with a mobile phone app, the microplastic readings of the sample can be assessed within 20 minutes. (Image provided by UBC)

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In this study, the research team used disposable polystyrene (PS) cups, poured 50 ml of distilled boiling water into the cups, and then cooled them for 30 minutes. Tests showed that the cups released hundreds of millions of nano-sized microplastics, which are about one percent or less the width of a human hair. By adjusting the machine learning algorithm, different types of plastics such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) can be measured. The future goal is to commercialize the equipment so that microplastics can be detected quickly and cheaply.

Last August, UBC developed aPlant filter bioCapThe method is to add tannic acid to a layer of sawdust, claiming that it can remove 99.9% of microplastics in water. The University of Missouri in the United States earlier this monthNatural Ingredientsmaking a hydrophobic liquid solvent that can capture more than 98% of nanoparticles in water. Finally, the solvent floats on the water like oil, leaving clean water without plastic. The new method is effective for both fresh water and salt water, and can be applied to lakes and other water bodies, and eventually to the ocean; the paper was published in an academic journalAmerican Chemical Society Applied Engineering Materials Division.