Inclusion of shape parameters increases the accuracy of 3D models for microplastics mass quantification

Hiraku Tanoiri; Haruka Nakano; Hisayuki Arakawa; Ricardo Shohei Hattori; Masashi Yokota

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112749

Inclusion of shape parameters increases the accuracy of 3D models for microplastics mass quantification

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Oct:171:112749. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112749. Epub 2021 Aug 5.

Authors

Hiraku Tanoiri¹, Haruka Nakano², Hisayuki Arakawa³, Ricardo Shohei Hattori⁴, Masashi Yokota⁵

Affiliations

¹ Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Konan 4-5-7, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan. Electronic address: go414andrelax@gmail.com.
² Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Konan 4-5-7, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan; Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba 395-8569, Japan. Electronic address: nakano.hrk@aist.go.jp.
³ Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Konan 4-5-7, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan. Electronic address: arakawa@kaiyodai.ac.jp.
⁴ Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Konan 4-5-7, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan. Electronic address: Hattori.fish@gmail.com.
⁵ Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Konan 4-5-7, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan. Electronic address: yokota@kaiyodai.ac.jp.

PMID: 34365282
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112749

Abstract

As microplastics may bring about adverse effects on living organisms, it is important to establish more precise quantification approaches to better understand their dynamics. One method to determine the concentration of microplastics is to estimate their mass using three-dimensional (3D) models, but its accuracy is not well known. In this study, we evaluated the shape of the particles and verified the accuracy of a 3D model-based mass estimation using samples from a tidal flat facing Tokyo Bay. The particle shape evaluation suggested that the microplastics were flat and irregular in shape; based on these data, we created two types of models to estimate their mass. As a result, an accuracy of mass estimation by our model was higher than other models that consider the slenderness and flatness of particles. The optimization of mass estimation methods based on 3D models may improve the reliability of microplastic evaluation in monitoring studies.

Keywords: Characterization; Image analysis; Mass estimation; Methodology; Microplastics; Quantification.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring
Microplastics*
Plastics
Reproducibility of Results
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical