Microplastics
How are microplastics detected in water?
Filtration, microscopy and spectroscopy, with contamination control throughout. The method's size range defines what the result can say.
21 January 2026 · 6 min read
Concentrate, then look
A known volume of water is filtered onto a membrane so particles can be examined. The membrane pore size sets the smallest particle the analysis can capture.
Identify the polymer
Counting particles is not the same as identifying plastic. Spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR or Raman microscopy compare particle spectra against polymer reference libraries.
Contamination control is part of the method
Airborne fibres and plastic labware can introduce particles during handling, so procedural blanks and controlled preparation conditions are essential to a defensible result.
Comparability
Because methods differ in size range and identification approach, microplastic counts are only comparable between samples analysed the same way. For product testing, that means before and after samples must share one method.