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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2025

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Optimising microplastics analysis for quantifying and identifying microplastic fibres in laundry wastewater.

James V Tarte1, Md Abu Hasan Johir1, Van-Tung Tra2

  • 1Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.

The Science of the Total Environment
|September 1, 2024
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a faster, scalable method for analyzing microplastic fibers (MPF) in laundry wastewater. The new technique improves efficiency and accuracy for routine high-throughput environmental monitoring.

Keywords:
Fluorescence excitation wavelengthLaundry wastewaterMP fibresMicroscopic FTIR spectroscopy analysisSample pretreatment

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Current microplastic fiber (MPF) analysis methods are inefficient and unscalable for routine use.
  • High-throughput analysis is crucial for understanding MPF pollution in wastewater.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a rapid, efficient, and scalable method for extracting, quantifying, and analyzing MPFs in laundry wastewater.
  • To optimize MPF detection using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy.

Main Methods:

  • Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) surveying for preliminary polymer identification.
  • Random quadrating of filter membranes for rapid analysis (<30 min).
  • Nile Red staining and optimized 365 nm excitation wavelength for polyester (PET) fiber fluorescence.
  • Custom ImageJ macro for automated enumeration and description of MPFs.

Main Results:

  • Polyester was the most common MPF in industrial laundry wastewater; acrylic, nylon, cotton, and rayon were also ubiquitous.
  • An excitation wavelength of 365 nm was optimal for fluorescing Nile Red-stained PET fibers, unlike the commonly used 495 nm.
  • The automated ImageJ macro analyzed concentrations up to 40,000 fibers/L with a lower size limit of 20 μm in seconds.

Conclusions:

  • The developed method significantly enhances the efficiency and scalability of MPF analysis in laundry wastewater.
  • Optimized FT-IR and fluorescence techniques, coupled with automated image analysis, provide reliable and accurate results.
  • This study underscores the need for scalable, accurate analytical workflows for environmental microplastic monitoring.