Detection and classification of microplastics in marine environment using a low-cost, compact, and fast sensor

In this paper, we present a preliminary study for the development of a low-cost, compact microplastics sensor which could be mounted, in principle, on a float of drifters, for the monitoring of large marine surfaces. The preliminary results of the study indicate that a simple sensor equipped with three infrared-sensitive photodiodes can reach classification accuracies around 90% for the most diffused floating microplastics in marine environment (polyethylene and polypropylene).