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Comparison of NIR and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy in the identification of marine litter plastics

The presence of waste on the seabed is an emerging issue already highlighted by many studies, especially for the synthetic polymer fraction, commonly defined as plastics, which represents its most widespread component. It can negatively affect both the health of benthic and marine ecosystems as well as anthropic activities of economic interest such as fishery. These negative interactions, however, could be changed into an interesting chance through collaborations and contributions from the fishing sectors, aimed to remove marine litter from marine ecosystems. In this study, within the Interreg Italy-Croatia ML- REPAIR project, a handheld NIR spectrometer used in reflectance mode coupled with a micro- electro-mechanical system (MEMS) was employed to screen the plastic material recovered during the implementation of Fishing for Litter (FfL) activities, a consolidated practice of marine waste recovery during fishing and its following disposal in equipped port areas. This study had three main purposes: 1) to verify the applicability of this technique to the identification of plastic materials after environmental deterioration processes ; 2) to compare the obtained analytical results with those attainable by established laboratory techniques such as FTIR-ATR ; 3) to provide a preliminary estimation of the plastic waste composition recovered during FfL in two areas of the Adriatic Sea (northern coast in Italy and Dalmatian coast in Croatia). This last evaluation will allow to identify potential approaches to Marine Litter management, also based on the features of the investigated areas.

marine litter, plastic, NIR FTIR spectroscopy

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