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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Environmental Microbial & Food Safety Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #419456
Research Project: Advancement of Sensing Technologies for Food Safety and Security Applications

Location: Environmental Microbial & Food Safety Laboratory

Title: Non-destructive identification of microplastics in soil using spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging

Author
item PAHLAWAN, MUHAMMAD - Chungnam National University
item KIM, YENA - Chungnam National University
item ALINE, UMUHOZA - Chungnam National University
item ZAHROH, ARIDATUZ - Chungnam National University
item MASITHOH, RUDIATI - Chungnam National University
item Kim, Moon
item Baek, Insuck
item CHO, BYOUNG-KWAN - Chungnam National University

Submitted to: Trends in Analytical Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2025
Publication Date: 2/28/2025
Citation: Pahlawan, M.F., Kim, Y., Aline, U., Zahroh, A., Masithoh, R.E., Kim, M.S., Baek, I., Cho, B. 2025. Non-destructive identification of microplastics in soil using spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging. Trends in Analytical Chemistry. 187: 118216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2025.118216.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2025.118216

Interpretive Summary: The ubiquitous presence of microplastics poses a global threat to the environment,with associated risks to human health via microplastic movement through ecosystems, soils, and the food chain. Processes for detecting and identifying microplastics in soil remain time-consuming and laborious, and no standard method has been established. Thus, this review explores non-destructive optical and imaging techniques for detecting the presence of microplastics in soil. Current optical methods, challenges, and knowledge gaps in detection are examined to offer recommendations for advancing research on soil microplastic contamination. An outline of the pros and cons of current optical technologies provides valuable insights for agricultural researchers into the non-destructive detection of microplastics in soil.

Technical Abstract: The ecological and biological risks associated with microplastics have increasing attention in recent years. The standard procedures for soil microplastic identification are time-consuming and require standardization. This study provides an in-depth examination of non-destructive methods for detecting soil microplastics, namely spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging. Existing approaches, difficulties, and research in this field are presented, highlighting the necessity for an extensive library and sophisticated modeling to address the diverse characteristics of soils and microplastics. This study also identifies knowledge gaps and offers recommendations for future research to improve our understanding of and ability to handle further soil microplastic contamination.