Staffordshire University



right-91439900Microplastics in the River Trent-7683502630805The surface of degraded Polyamide fishing wire00The surface of degraded Polyamide fishing wire-84455045021500Staffordshire University is conducting research into the Level of Microplastic pollution in the River Trent by collecting sediment and water samples from 25 different locations along its duration from where it starts in Biddulph Moor Staffordshire to its end where it meets the River Ouse and forms the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, so that microplastic pollution can be more accurately quantified. The Trent was chosen as it is the third largest river in the UK, and it flows through several major urban areas including Stoke on Trent, Nottingham, and Burton upon Trent. There has also been very little research into microplastics in the freshwater environment as opposed to the marine environment, and by undertaking this research study a more detailed picture of the abundance of microplastics in rivers can be obtained. -5750351543910Density separation of sediment from High Town beach.00Density separation of sediment from High Town beach.One of the main issues in microplastic research is that there is no universally accepted standardised method for extracting and analysing microplastics, even the definition of microplastic size is not universal. This research project will also aim to provide suggestions towards a standardised approach to collecting microplastics and how they are processed in the laboratory so that microplastic collection can be maximised giving a more accurate indication of microplastic pollution such as using density separation to remove microplastics from sediment samples. The samples generated will be characterised with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) to identify the polymer type so that problem plastics can be identified, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) will also be used to visualise the effects of degradation on plastic surfaces. Machine learning will be implemented as a method of automatic detection of microplastics removing some human error and generating more accurate results. ................
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