Microplastic Detection in Water Using a Sensor Network, An Electronic Tongue and Spectroscopy Impedance

Abstract

Plastic is a material widely used today because of its advantages; however, in some cases, its poor disposal can generate particles caused by the degradation of larger plastic products because of its interaction with the environment. This is the case, for instance, of microplastics found in rivers, where the friction of bottles and other plastic waste with its surrounding environment results in microplastic pollution. From this point of view, it is necessary the development of monitoring systems to detect these kinds of materials and understand their dynamics with the environment in which they are found. The use of this kind of system can allow the development of strategies for mitigating their possible impacts. In this sense, this work shows the preliminary development of a methodology for detecting microplastics in water for human consumption using the electrochemical technique of impedance spectroscopy. The methodology was evaluated in water samples, and 160 experiments were carried out by adding different contaminants. Results show the potential of the methodology in the detection of microplastics by using an electronic tongue that makes use of impedance spectroscopy and principal component analysis.