Identification of Microplastics Using a Custom Built Micro-Raman Spectrometer

Abstract Microplastics are plastic particles less than 5 mm in size but larger 0.1 µm. Widespread microplastic pollution aquatic and terrestrial environment is raising serious concern globally due to its detrimental impacts on living beings. This urge for the necessity of a sensitive analytical tool, which can facilitate reliable identification microplastics. Micro-Raman spectroscopy enables molecular level structural details samples thus highly preferable microplastics water. Besides being non-destructive technique enabling fast analysis, this requires minimal/no sample preparation. The present work demonstrates performance custom built spectrometer discrimination various water based samples. Micro- Raman analysis have been found quite successful Polystyrene (PS), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), High Density Poly ethylene (HDPE), Low (LDPE) etc. spectral data capable enough high-density polyethylene (HDPE,> 0.940 g/cm 3 ) low-density (LDPE,< 0.930 microplastics, especially variations C-H stretching vibrations (2825-2970 cm −1 ). ratio intensities asymmetric CH 2 mode (2879 symmetric (2847 be higher HDPE with respect LDPE. Moreover, intensity were also observed antisymmetric C-C bands at 1059 1126 respectively. band 1167 arising from vibration shown an enhancement