Detection with LIBS of Microplastics from Extruded Material

YENNER GÓMEZ; RODOLFO PÉREZ; CARLOS RINALDI; CARLOS ARARAT-IBARGUEN; ANDRES LUCÍA; BOGGIO, NORBERTO; VOROBIOFF JUAN

Iguazú

Congreso; XIII World Conference on Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy; 2024

Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica

To achieve the overall objective of assessing the impact of inorganic and organic sorbent impurities(such as mineral dust, ash, black carbon, algae and microplastics) on the accelerated melting ofsnowpacks and glaciers in the isolated Antartic región, the southern Andes and the Alps, it isnecessary to obtain field data from high-quality laboratory measurements incorporating new-generation nanocharacterization techniques. For this purpose, the laser-induced breakdownspectroscopy (LIBS) technique is a candidate, given its ease of obtaining in situ data without sample reparation, which can be solid, liquid or gaseous. In this work, the ability of the technique to detect, in particular, microplastics from extruded compact polymers using barium sulphate (widely used in industry to improve properties) was tested. First, starting from the macroscopic material, macroparticles were obtained by grinding, then aqueous phase suspensions were prepared by varying the quantity of microplastics resent. These suspensions were subsequently filtered and the filters were finally used as blanks to perform the LIBS measurements. This experience allowed the identification of barium, fig. 1. typical of the type of plastic retained in the filter and thedetermination of the minimum detectable concentration limit. Based on this result, this procedure will be used as a basis for detecting contaminants of this type in snow and ocean waters, as well as the beginning of the preparation of a catalogue of the predominant contaminating polymers detectable with our equipment in laboratory conditions.