ARKHANGELSK, July 18. /TASS/. Scientists of the Arctic Floating University expedition will determine the quality and quantity of microplastic particles in the Barents Sea by using infrared spectroscopy, researcher at the Arctic Center for Collective Use of Scientific Equipment at the Northern Arctic Federal University Sergey Sypalov told TASS from aboard the Professor Molchanov scientific research vessel.
"In the laboratory, we have, so to say, unique equipment, an infrared microscope, which allows us to map the filter on which we collect microplastic particles. Through the microscope, we can find a piece of plastic on the filter, and we use a spectrometer to determine its type and what kind of plastic it is. This is how we count particles, how we can see their shape, what type of plastic particle they are, namely floating particles," the expert said.
Scientists do water sampling to test the surface layer for microplastic particles using a special net designed to sample plankton or microplastic in the water column's top centimeters. Trawling takes half an hour at a speed of two knots. "Knowing the velocity, which we determine by the initial and final coordinates, we calculate the volume of water that has passed through the net," the researcher explained. Further on, specialists remove interfering compounds from the water samples, and the water sample goes through a special filter, on which microplastic particles settle.
Tests will be made at the Arctic Center laboratory, where chemists will remove all other organic compounds from the samples using peroxide oxidation, so that only plastic remains, and they will determine its type.
It is important to study microplastic particles because they can adsorb various pollutants from the environment, and the adsorption degree depends on the plastic's composition. Besides, microplastic particles' chemical structures affect the plastic's ability to break down, which is important in forecasting how this pollutant may behave in the environment.
The Professor Molchanov departed from Arkhangelsk on July 9, and the expedition will continue to August 1.