Instruments (Oct 2020)

Polyethylene Identification in Ocean Water Samples by Means of 50 keV Energy Electron Beam

  • John I. Adlish,
  • Davide Costa,
  • Enrico Mainardi,
  • Piero Neuhold,
  • Riccardo Surrente,
  • Luca J. Tagliapietra

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments4040032
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 4
p. 32

Abstract

Read online

This study presents a new methodology to reveal traces of polyethylene (the most common microplastic particles, known as a structure of C2H4) in a sample of ocean water by the irradiation of a 50 keV, 1 µA electron beam. This is performed by analyzing the photon (produced by the electrons in water) fluxes and spectra (i.e., fluxes as a function of photon energy) with different types of contaminated water using an adequate device and in particular looking at the peculiar interactions of electrons/photons with the potential abnormal atomic hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), carbon (C), and phosphorus (P) compositions present in the water, as a function of living and nonliving organic organisms with PO4 group RNA/DNA strands in a cluster configuration through a volumetric cells grid.

Keywords