Prototype sensor technology for microplastics detection tested

During summer 2022, the prototype sensor technology for microplastics detection pictured here was tested on the Clinton River and Avon Creek in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and at the University of Alabama on the Black Warrior River.

Consisting of a high-speed camera, Raman spectroscopy, optics and control components for flow-through detection of microplastics, state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms then compare the real-time captured data to a library of known environmental samples.

Refinements to the design and operation of the sensor technology will continue through May 2023. Look for the library of Raman spectra and other scientific products to be available in June 2023 at microplastics.wayne.edu.