Rapid detection of microplastic contamination using Nile red fluorescent tagging
Paper Details
Rapid detection of microplastic contamination using Nile red fluorescent tagging
Abstract
This study delves into the evaluation of fluorescent lights staining microscopy and its efficiency in cross validation by comparison with light microscopy. Rapid detection of microplastics of various sizes can be distinguished in assessing coastal marine sediment. A development of a novel approach in rapid detection is employed for analysis of coastal marine sediment microplastic contamination, based on fluorescent tagging using Nile Red (NR), separated by density-based extraction using Zinc Chloride (ZnCl2) and filtration. The fluorescent staining tags onto microplastic to fluorescent, aides with excitation of blue light and color filters. Fluorescence excitation is detected using simple smartphone photography through a polarizer filter. Rapid detection using light microscopy allows fluorescent particles to be identified and counted in image-analysis. The study used a paired sample t-test to compare particle counts across five mesh sizes, revealing minimal too little to no significant differences between fluoresced and suspected MPs particles, indicating a novel detection process with greater selectivity and fluorescence intensity.
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