Korean engineers have created a device for rapid detection of nanoplastic pollution. Reported by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology.
Plastic waste is an important environmental problem. Most of its varieties do not decompose under normal conditions, but large particles break down into smaller, microscopic and nanoscopic sizes. Many scientists believe that the abundance of micro- and nanoplastics in drinking water poses a threat to health, but due to its small size and concentration it is even a problem to detect.
The device was based on a thin film sandwiched between metal plates to which the current was applied. At the same time, Raman spectroscopy was carried out, which made it possible to analyze the energy difference between incident and scattered light and thereby determine the properties of molecules. As a result, scientists were able to detect, for example, the presence of 30 nanometer particles of polystyrene with a total mass of 10 micrograms. So a process that previously required at least a day took only a few seconds.
The authors hope that this technology will make it possible to effectively control the quality of drinking water without significant material costs.
Previously in Svalbard discovered Plastic garbage from Brazil and China.