Revolutionary Technology Developed for Real-Time Detection of Nanoplastics in Water

The fight against plastic pollution has reached a new milestone with the development of groundbreaking technology by a McGill-led research team. This innovative real-time, on-site technology is capable of detecting and deciphering nanoplastics from all other particles in water, a feat likened to finding a needle in a haystack within milliseconds.

Nanoplastics, which are even smaller than microplastics, have posed a significant challenge in monitoring and managing plastic pollution due to their minuscule size. However, the newly developed AI-assisted nano digital in-line holographic microscopy, known as ‘AI-Assisted Nano-DIHM’, has the ability to automatically detect and differentiate nanoplastics and microplastics, even when they are coated in other particles.

Lead author of the study, Parisa Ariya, highlighted the potential of this technology to revolutionize environmental preservation efforts. With the equivalent of approximately 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic being dumped into the world’s oceans, rivers, and lakes each day, the need for real-time analysis of plastic pollution has never been more urgent.

The practical implications of this technology are vast, as it offers a tool for identifying pollution ‘hotspots’ more effectively. Preliminary findings from Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River have shown promising results in identifying micro- and nanoplastics within waterborne particles.

Developed in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada, this pioneering technology represents a crucial breakthrough in environmental monitoring. The study, titled “Nanoplastics in water: artificial intelligence-assisted 4D physicochemical characterization and rapid in situ detection”, was recently published in Environmental Science & Technology, garnering attention from experts in the field.