Researchers at the University of Warwick's School of Life Sciences found that 'Nile Red', a fluorescent dye that can be combined with plastic particles that float in water, has given way to an 'application of fluorescent dyes to reveal plastic particles in water' .
Millions of metric tons of plastic are washed into the sea each year, and we do not know at all exactly where they are going, and the corrosive power of the ocean can crush plastic waste such as bottles and make the whereabouts of them difficult.
The width of the plastic particles we can detect is comparable to that of human hair, and a recent study estimates 93,000 to 236,000 metric tons of floating ocean surface, but scientists also point out that it only accounts for 100% of the total plastic waste in the ocean One part.
So where did the remaining 99% go? Earlier this year, a study by Erik van Sebille told us that it was a bit like astronomers looking for unknown dark matter.
We do not know how much plastic wastes are in the sea and how much they are on shorelines, beaches, in mangrove wetlands, and even in marine life.
In the absence of knowledge, we are unable to delve into the interplay of marine life with plastic and do not know the best way to remove or clean it.
Some scientists fear that the chemicals in these plastics will be released into the water after the destruction of the material, which may be digested by the marine life, but we are responsible for their safety in the marine life (and after humans eat them) Little is known about sex.
Sebille has already got funding from the European Union for its next phase of research, including building a 3D distributed map of the plastic recycling in the ocean. The good news is that the new technology at Warwick University has shaped the puzzle There is a very important supplement.
Researchers at the University of Warwick's School of Life Sciences found that Nile red, a fluorescent dye that can be combined with plastic particles that float in water, can be easily observed by fluorescence microscopy after they are separated from natural materials And calculate.
The team has experimented with water samples taken from the sea surface and coast of the coastal area of the UK (near Plymouth, a port city) that can detect plastic particles (as much as human hair) down to 20 microns in the sample.
Although the sample was small, the experiment gave some astounding findings that were far greater than those detected by traditional methods, as previous manual selection was required In addition, the new study found that the most common The plastic type is polypropylene chips, which are widely used in packaging and food containers.
Details of the study have been published in a recent issue of Environmental Science & Technology.